Fracking, Earthquakes, and Carbon Disposal with Terry Tullis

The 2016 Spring Life of the Mind Salon Series continues on May 11 with Terry Tullis, Professor Emeritus of Geological Sciences at Brown University, who will discuss the potential effects of present fracking practices on America's future. While fracking has lowered current gas prices and made us less independent on foreign oil, it has some negative consequences. Ground water can be contaminated, and a dramatic incidence of small earthquakes has resulted from the injection of waste fluids produced by fracking. For example, Oklahoma now has a rapid acceleration of earthquake occurrences and more earthquakes than California. We understand why these earthquakes are occurring from laboratory and field experiments. The potential for more, even larger man-induced earthquakes looms as the Department of Energy begins “carbon sequestration” - pumping carbon dioxide down disposal wells to attempt to reduce future climate change.

Terry Tullis is a faculty member in Brown’s Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences where he has worked for 45 years. He retired from teaching 10 years ago, and since then he has been an Emeritus and Research Professor. His research involves doing experiments on the mechanical properties of rocks using high-pressure equipment that he designed and built. This work is primarily focused on understanding rock friction and the mechanics of earthquakes during slip on faults. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and a former General Secretary of this scientific society that has about 75,000 worldwide members. Terry is a member of the leadership of the Southern California Earthquake Center. He is also the Chair of the National Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council and a member of the Scientific Earthquake Studies Advisory Committee, two bodies mandated by an act of Congress to advise the Director of the US Geological Survey on earthquake prediction and earthquake research activities.

Wine and cheese will be served at 5:30 pm followed by the talk at 6:00 pm. Free for members; $10 for non-members. Please call the Redwood Reservation Line at 401.847.0292, ext. 112, to reserve your spot. Seating is limited.