Statement on the micro-seismic events in Lancashire yesterday

22 August 2019

Commenting on the micro-seismic events around Preston New Road on the evening of the 21st August, Ken Cronin, Chief Executive of UK Onshore Oil and Gas, said:

"The traffic light system was put in place to address concerns around hydraulic stimulation. The tremor last night was only picked up through the extensive monitoring put in place by the British Geological Survey (BGS) and the operator, who have acted in accordance with the system, temporarily suspending operations and verifying the well integrity.

"The BGS and University of Liverpool comment that a magnitude event of less than 2 on the Richter Scale is not normally felt, but if it is, it is likely by people close to the event centre and in relative external quiet. The BGS also state that the events detected near Preston New Road in 2018 had magnitudes far below their normal detection threshold and were only picked up because of the increased number of seismic monitoring stations, adding that several hundred earthquakes with a magnitude of 1.0 ML or above and several thousand with a magnitude of 0 ML or above occur naturally or induced every year in the UK."

Notes to Editors
Cuadrilla's statement on the events can be read here

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