Australian river catches fire near gas fracking site
- 8 years ago
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA — A river in Australia bubbling with methane gas has been filmed bursting into flames with a spark from a kitchen lighter.
Video of the Condamine River set ablaze was posted online by Jeremy Buckingham, a Greens member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
In a Facebook post on April 22, Buckingham blamed nearby fracking operations for the leak of methane into the river. There are several coal seam gas fracking mines in the area, and leaks were first reported in 2012, according to the ABC.
Fracking miners drill a pipeline into the ground, which then curves horizontally and can be several miles long. Fracking fluid, which is made up of water, sand and toxic chemicals, is then pumped into the pipeline at high pressure.
The pressure forces cracks to form in rocks along the pipeline, which the sand holds open. Natural gas then flows back up through the pipeline towards the fracking well.
Critics, such as Buckingham, say high pressure from fracking causes more cracks to form in rock. Methane gas escapes from these cracks and moves towards the earth's surface, creating flammable water and releasing toxic fumes.
The flames on the Condamine River continued to burn for more than a hour, Buckingham said, according to the ABC.
Writing on Facebook, Buckingham said "fugitive emissions could be a major contributor to climate change and make gas as dirty as burning coal."
Buckingham also called for a ban on fracking.
"Fracking must be banned. Everywhere. No ifs, no buts, no exceptions. Ban it," he wrote on Facebook.
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Video of the Condamine River set ablaze was posted online by Jeremy Buckingham, a Greens member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
In a Facebook post on April 22, Buckingham blamed nearby fracking operations for the leak of methane into the river. There are several coal seam gas fracking mines in the area, and leaks were first reported in 2012, according to the ABC.
Fracking miners drill a pipeline into the ground, which then curves horizontally and can be several miles long. Fracking fluid, which is made up of water, sand and toxic chemicals, is then pumped into the pipeline at high pressure.
The pressure forces cracks to form in rocks along the pipeline, which the sand holds open. Natural gas then flows back up through the pipeline towards the fracking well.
Critics, such as Buckingham, say high pressure from fracking causes more cracks to form in rock. Methane gas escapes from these cracks and moves towards the earth's surface, creating flammable water and releasing toxic fumes.
The flames on the Condamine River continued to burn for more than a hour, Buckingham said, according to the ABC.
Writing on Facebook, Buckingham said "fugitive emissions could be a major contributor to climate change and make gas as dirty as burning coal."
Buckingham also called for a ban on fracking.
"Fracking must be banned. Everywhere. No ifs, no buts, no exceptions. Ban it," he wrote on Facebook.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.net
Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f
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Instagram @tomonewsus http://instagram.com/tomonewsus