Track 51

Track 51.

So, what exactly is fracking?

It’s a way of getting gas out of the ground.

Both oil and gas are found deep underground, so to get to them a well must be drilled.

Normally, when a well is drilled into ground where there’s gas, the natural pressure of the gas pushes it to the surface, where it can easily be taken away and stored.

However, a lot of gas is found inside a type of rock called ‘shale’, where there is no natural pressure to push the gas out.

If a well is drilled into shale, the gas will not come out by itself.

It needs extra help.

This is when fracking is an important way of getting the gas out.

The fracking process works in this way: first, a well is drilled into the ground, through the water table(which is the natural level of freshwater).

When the drill reaches the shale, which is where the gas is, it turns side ways through 90 degrees and continues horizontally through the shale.

So, to put it simply, the drill goes down into the shale, where the gas is, and then turns to the side.

Then, a mixture of water, sand and various chemicals are sent down into the well.

The mixture creates pressure in the rock and the rock breaks.

These small breaks in the rock are known as ‘fissures’, and these fissures release the gas from the shale.

The pressure of the mixture causes the gas to rise to the surface, where it can be collected and stored.