Events & Courses

Britain has no shale gas industry to speak of, but what little it has became famous because fracking caused a couple of very small earthquakes. (Many geologists would prefer to call them ‘tremors’).

On Friday April 1 2011 an earthquake of magnitude 2.3 occurred with an epicentre just two miles from the site of Britain’s first fracking operation. On the following Saturday morning people interviewed by the local press described wardrobe doors being flung open, a police station building shaking, motorbikes falling over and traffic lights suddenly not working. Pedestrians reported that the Lytham Road Bridge in Blackpool had cracked, even though other local residents maintained that the cracks had been in existence since the 1970s and had moss growing inside them.

These incidents highlight one of the problems of shale gas. It’s difficult to cut through to the facts. In this talk Mike Stephenson will introduce his new book 'Shale gas and fracking: the science behind the controversy' in which he analyses the pros and cons of shale gas from the European and American perspective, debunking the ‘bad science’ being used on both sides of the argument and making clear the science that does matter, so that people can make an informed choice.

Speaker

Prof. Michael Stephenson

Director of Science and Technology, British Geological Survey

Time

6.30pm - 7.30pm

Venue

Conference Room, 3/F, Mariner’s Club, Tsim Sha Tsui