Dan Soeder, director of the Energy Resources Initiative
(ERI) at the South
Dakota School of Mines & Technology, has co-authored the cover article
titled “When oil
and water mix: Understanding the environmental impacts of shale development,”
in the September 2018 issue of GSA Today, a magazine published by the Geological Society of America.
The article explores
what is known and not known about the environmental risks of fracking with the
intent of fostering informed discussions within the geoscience community
on the topic of hydraulic fracturing. Soeder’s
co-author is Douglas B. Kent of the United States Geological Survey.
In this paper, Soeder and Kent bridge the gap in consensus regarding
fracking, providing current information about the environmental impacts of
shale development. The article is open access and adheres to science and
policy, presenting a complicated and controversial topic in a manner more
easily understood by the lay person.
"Geoscientists from dinosaur experts to the
people studying the surface of Mars are often asked by the public to
weigh-in with their opinions on fracking. We wanted the
broader geoscience community to be aware of what is kn...