Nevertheless, the citizens of Pohang are strongly opposed to any drilling or infusing fluids underground that might cause future earthquakes. Despite the “Phase One” deal, U.S.-China total trade is slipping in importance. What social issues emerged after this unprecedented, large-scale man-made earthquake? South Korea has a long history of making vague or intentionally misleading statements on its environmental policies. If you can create that network of fractures, then you can use two wells to create a heat exchanger. The victims asked that the central government apologize and offer compensation, although it still has not formally admitted its responsibility for the incident. If Yes, tell us by using the I FELT IT form behind the earthquake or at the bottom of this page. What led to the big earthquake in Pohang, South Korea? Pressure from the fluid injections ended up providing the kick. Josie Garthwaite, School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences: (650) 497-0947, [email protected], William Ellsworth, School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences: (650) 723-9390, [email protected]. Many geothermal, oil and gas projects have also been guided by a hypothesis that as long as you don’t put more than a certain volume of fluid into a well, you won’t get earthquakes beyond a certain size. “There is no doubt,” said Stanford geophysicist William Ellsworth. These cookies do not store any personal information. © Stanford University. From everything you’ve learned about what happened at Pohang, do you think enhanced geothermal development should slow down? The potential for a runaway or triggered earthquake always has to be considered. The time is ripe for the EU and Taiwan to further strengthen bilateral trade ties, starting with negotiations on a Bilateral Investment Agreement. The technology is important for the South Korean government to meet the CO2 emission reduction requirements of the Paris Agreement. According to Stanford Professor William Ellsworth, although an earthquake poses the same amount of “hazard” whether it occurs in a densely populated city or an uninhabited desert, the “risk” is considerably higher in the former. Problems have also emerged from the citizens’ fear of the geothermal facility that still remains in their city. Thus, these citizens have been opposed to any media coverage that reinforces the earthquake image associated with Pohang. Furthermore, the citizens of Pohang are calling for the shutdown of the two underground carbon dioxide (CO2) storages built near the coast of Pohang. Conventional geothermal resources have been generating commercial power for decades in places where heat and water from burble up through naturally permeable rock. When they began injecting fluids at high pressure, one well produced a network of fractures as planned. Bills have been offered for the National Assembly’s consideration, but debates regarding the law’s details are currently ongoing. Chemistry Professor Carolyn Bertozzi says recruiting world-class scientists and engineers and developing ChEM-H into a hub where doctors and researchers can come together will be two of her main goals. The public panic over flu vaccine safety highlights the potential problems facing a COVID-19 vaccine. And it’s important to consider it through the lens of evolving risk rather than hazard. Strongest earthquakes (since 1900) within a 150 km radius from this earthquake. The Swiss government immediately stopped operating a power plant following a few microearthquakes, but small-scale earthquakes nevertheless continued for years after the facility’s shutdown. Just $5 a month. As the project proceeds, those conversations need to continue. But water injected in the other well began to activate a previously unknown fault that crossed right through the well. The earthquake occurred far away from the city, and most citizens did not feel it at all. Sometimes these tiny fractures make tiny little earthquakes. © 2020 Diplomat Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. These efforts have rendered many citizens sensitive to how their city is portrayed in the media, especially with regard to natural events. According to Pohang Mayor Lee Gang-deok, nearly 80 percent of Pohang citizens are complaining about mental damage, while 42 percent are still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. But they are rare and pretty much tapped out. Holding the Central Government Responsible. Workers want the government to guarantee pay for their extra working hours and stop a move to shift management of the industry from schools to local governments. Minor earthquake - South Korea - July 21, 2019. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. The close race indicates lasting shifts in American politics which will spill over to U.S. international engagements. In practice, authorities and drillers tend to focus more on preventing small earthquakes that can be felt rather than on avoiding the much less likely event of an earthquake strong enough to do serious harm. To read all stories about Stanford science, subscribe to the biweekly Stanford Science Digest. For example, if there’s a possibility of a magnitude 5.0 earthquake before the project starts, then you can estimate the damages and injuries that might be expected. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. August 4 A more selective Magnitude, delivery option and area of your interest will give the best result. In March 2019, a government-commissioned research team in South Korea concluded after a year-long study that the 5.4-magnitude earthquake that rattled the city of Pohang in November 2017 was triggered by geothermal power generation. “We have understood for half a century that this process of pumping up the Earth with high pressure can cause earthquakes,” said Ellsworth, who co-directs the Stanford Center for Induced and Triggered Seismicity and is a professor in the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth). Amid COVID-19, the South Asian country needs its economic partnerships with France more than ever. Therefore, the central government must conduct a sufficient variety of studies and share the results with these citizens before deciding whether or not the facility will be removed for restoration. How does enhanced geothermal technology work? Small earthquakes lingered for weeks after the operators turned the pumps off or backed off the pressure. Earthquakes in South Korea are less frequent than in neighboring countries, such as China and Japan, but several significant earthquakes have occurred in its history. Stanford Center for Induced and Triggered Seismicity, Religious clashes in India sparked scholar’s interest in peace, Lessons for handling COVID-19 from another animal virus, Carolyn Bertozzi named Baker Family Director of Stanford ChEM-H. Here, Ellsworth explains what failed in Pohang and how their analysis could help lower risks for not only the next generation of geothermal plants, but also fracking projects that rely on similar technology. And it comes at a time when the technology could provide a stable, ever-present complement to more finicky wind and solar power as a growing number of nations and U.S. states push to develop low-carbon energy sources. Risk is the possibility of loss caused by harm or danger. Although about half of the infused water has been removed from the underground well, citizens are still worried about whether or not the water that remains in the fractures might result in future instability. The citizens of Pohang are still furious at the central government and argue that it did not care about their lives and properties when it constructed an experimental power plant, regardless of its generation of clean and cheap energy. Click here to subscribe for full access. The facility previously injected 13,000 tons of water at high pressure into the rock strata, which produced a network of fractures and activated a previously unknown underground fault. How has the report that confirmed the correlation between the earthquake and the geothermal power project affected the victims and residents of Pohang? A new report into the region's digital economy shows the dramatic effects that the pandemic has had on daily life. At a magnitude of 3.9, the quake was classified as … Stanford News is a publication of Stanford University Communications. Share your earthquake experience (I Have Felt It) with our readers. You pump cold water down one, the Earth warms it up, and you extract hot water at the other end. His research focuses on environmental politics, disaster resilience, and social capital, and he has published multiple articles on the social impacts of natural hazards in the East Asian region. If earthquakes begin to get larger, then you adjust operations. (Image credit: Shutterstock). If Yes, tell us by using the I FELT IT form behind the earthquake or at the bottom of this page. Operators drilling a geothermal well line it with a steel tube using the same process and technology used to construct an oil well.