Charts measuring the 5 July 2018 earthquake at Newdigate in Surrey. Source: British Geological Survey
A group of senior geologists has called for an immediate moratorium on oil and gas exploration in the area of Surrey affected by 12 earthquakes in the past four months.
In a letter in this morning’s Times newspaper, senior lecturer Stuart Gilfillan and professor Stuart Haszeldine, both of University of Edinburgh, and emeritus professors Bill McGuire and Richard Selley, said:
“The abrupt onset of the earthquake cluster recorded by the British Geological Survey at Newdigate since 1 April 2018 requires an explanation, and gives rise to our concerns about safety.
“We believe that public health and the environment are not being adequately protected given the unstable geology, which has not been identified before permits were issued for the currently active drill sites.”
They have written to the Business Secretary, Greg Clark, and regulators of the oil and gas industry urging them to address the issue urgently.
The geologists said:
“Oil drilling and extraction, and re-injection in particular, can cause earthquakes.”
There are two active hydrocarbon sites in the area where the earthquake cluster was felt: Horse Hill, operated by Horse Hill Developments Ltd, near Gatwick Airport; and the Angus Energy site at Brockham near Dorking.
Both companies have said there is no connection between their operations and the earthquakes (DrillOrDrop reports here and here).
Tests to assess the flow of oil at the Horse Hill site began after the start of the earthquake cluster.
This morning, UK Oil & Gas plc, the major investor at Horse Hill, said it was “very disappointed” that the four academics had issued the letter “prematurely”. UKOG said it hoped their motives were “purely scientific” but added “it appears otherwise as they have not been involved in the scientific investigation of the Newdigate tremors”.
The company added:
“The Horse Hill operator, Horse Hill Developments Ltd, was pumping at the Horse Hill site during only one of these 12 events. Pumping only started on 9 July 2018, following the first 8 tremors. Also, the Horse Hill oil well was shut-in all day on 18 July 2018.” Full statement by UK Oil & Gas plc on letter to The Times
At Brockham, Angus Energy’s managing director, Paul Vonk, said in an online interview last month:
“It is scientifically and physically impossible for us to have caused these tremors.” Link to Angus Energy comment on Surrey earthquakes
But the academics said today:
“A causal link with either well site cannot be ruled out, so we need the full picture for the risk assessment.
“The moratorium on drilling, re-injection and flow testing should be put in place immediately and remain in force until the records of fluid injection, and local faulting activity have been comprehensively surveyed and interpreted, and the triggering mechanism for this quake cluster phenomenon properly understood.”
In a statement issued this lunchtime by the campaign network, Weald Action Group, Professor Selley said:
“The location of the swarm close to two active fields suggests more than serendipity and merits investigation.”
Dr Gilfillan said:
“We know from existing borehole records that the drilling target is between 500 to 1000 metres below ground surface, and that is within the range of the latest depth estimates at which these earthquakes are believed to be occurring.”
Professor Haszeldine said:
“These earthquakes are unique and unprecedented events in the region, and seem to be increasing.
“I think the injection of acid and injection of waste waters may have caused uncontrolled consequences, which were not expected. This activity needs to be paused immediately, to understand what these companies are doing underground, and prevent any chance of leakage or earth tremors affecting people at the surface.”
New monitors
Tweet by the British Geological Survey on 2 August 2018 on new monitoring equipment
Last week, the British Geological Survey installed three extra sets of equipment to measure any future seismic activity in around Newdigate. This brings the number of monitors in the area to five.
The most powerful earthquakes in the recent cluster had a magnitude of 3 and most were said to be at a depth of about 1km. They were felt in places including Dorking, Newdigate, Horley and Charlwood in Surrey and in Crawley, West Sussex. Before April 2018, there had been no recorded earthquakes in Surrey for 50 years.
The Green MEP for the area, Keith Taylor, said:
“I welcome the British Geological Survey’s efforts to further monitor this activity and wholeheartedly support the call from geology and seismology experts for a moratorium on any oil and gas activity in the geological region until the results of any investigation are clear. The case for employing the precautionary principle is obvious.”
Increase in water injection
Extract from the latest OGA data on water injection at Angus Energy sites at Brockham and Lidsey in southern England
Also last week, the Oil & Gas Authority (OGA) released the latest data on the volume of injected water at the Brockham oil site. This showed an increase from 3m3 in March 2018 to 73m3 in April 2018. According to the OGA data, this followed several years of no water injection at the site. Link to OGA data page and data for Brockham
A local residents’ group, Brockham Oil Watch, told DrillOrDrop:
“The figure of 73 m3 reinjected at Brockham in April after an apparent long period of no or very low activity coincides with the onset of earthquakes in Surrey. This is concerning and any relationship between the two needs to be investigated further given that wastewater reinjection has been proven to be the main cause of earthquakes in the Central U.S., and that several experts we have been in touch with, including professors: Richard Selley, Peter Styles and David Smythe, indicated that it could be linked to the recent seismic activity.”
The OGA data is provided by the site operators. On 11 July 2018, DrillOrDrop asked the regulator what steps it took to verify data from operators. We are still waiting for a reply.
Brockham Oil Watch said:
“This is yet another example of a “gold standard” regulatory regime allowing operators to self-monitor and mark their own homework. There is no central database, the regulators hold data in disconnected systems that don’t allow for easy cross-referencing.”
DrillOrDrop also asked Angus Energy to comment on any relationship between injected water and earthquakes. The company has not replied.
The Brockham site is operating under an old-style environmental permit. DrillOrDrop reported this represented a regulatory loophole because the operator was not required by the Environment Agency (EA) to collect or maintain details on well stimulation or fluid reinjection.
Brockham Oil Watch said:
“A decade worth of reinjection data for Brockham held by the OGA is unreliable, whilst the HSE and the EA do not have any data at all, except for what Angus reported to the EA for period of Jan 2015-Jan 2016 in their re-permitting application documents.
“Even if the reported monthly totals were correct, much more detailed data is needed for analysis, including times and dates of reinjection, volumes per episode, applied pressures, exact destinations, etc.”
On Wednesday (8 August 2018), Surrey County Council is due to decide a part-retrospective planning application for the Brockham site. This includes a sidetrack well, drilled in January 2017 which the company said was covered by planning permission but the council said was not. DrillOrDrop background report. DrillOrDrop will be reporting on the meeting
Categories: Research
DRILL OR DROP? 
I recall someone saying that the BGS are the experts and we should only listen to them?
Well we are listening now, between rumbles that is?
And it seems the OGA only reproduce data supplied by the self regulated operators and that there is no independent verification or on site presence? So much for self monitoring too.
Waste water reinjection was always going to be the problem wasn’t it? That was only ever to save money on transporting toxic waste to god knows where (still secret) or secretly dumped in some water course or dribbled onto roads?
A provably dangerous process that endangers the integrity of the well and the aquifer and is known to produce earthquakes elsewhere.
Well now it’s proven here too.
Time to end this debacle and put in place a moratorium on the entire industry farce everywhere isn’t it.
A banned of batty brothers perhaps?
Waste water from Lidsey has been transported to Brockham to reinject for some time now , Angus are producing from both L1 & L2 at Lidsey when they said that L1 would be reinjection well . Do we know why Tidswell hocked his shares yet ? How can anyone trust this company to do anything to any standard let alone a gold one?
Jono,long time no chat,I see your still nice and tight with Clayton Wellman and have planned this 11th hour complaint like the one last month,to try and get scc to delay once more,is it in private eye this time
wanderlust51
Posts: 2,598
Off Topic
Opinion: No Opinion
Price: 10.50
RE: HSE and OnGToday 19:51Or in his words,even says what time to tune in,unbelievable
Hide 12 Replies
Clayton Wellman
Clayton Wellman wek
Like · 9 March at 19:26
Clayton Wellman
Clayton Wellman I mean weak lol
Like · 9 March at 19:26
Clayton Wellman
Clayton Wellman Surrey CC are a joke
Like · 9 March at 19:26
Clayton Wellman
Clayton Wellman I even got them to go up and inspect in Jan and they swallowed the company line that they weren’t up to anything…
Like · 9 March at 19:26
Patrick Sweeney
Patrick Sweeney Build an extension without planning permission and they’ll come down like a ton of bricks. Side track fracking? Disappointed.
Like · 1 · 9 March at 19:27
Patrick Sweeney
Patrick Sweeney Have you looked at the registrar of political donations?
Like · 1 · 9 March at 19:27
Clayton Wellman
Clayton Wellman All about the dollar
Like · 9 March at 19:27
Patrick Sweeney
Patrick Sweeney Amen
Like · 9 March at 19:27
Clayton Wellman
Clayton Wellman No – good idea though
Like · 9 March at 19:28
Patrick Sweeney
Patrick Sweeney Write to Private Eye too – they love this kind of thing
Like · 1 · 9 March at 19:29
Clayton Wellman
Clayton Wellman even better idea!
Like · 9 March at 19:37
Patrick Sweeney
Patrick Sweeney I’m sure they can give you some investigative tips too
Like · 1 · 9 March at 19:37
Clayton Wellman
Clayton Wellman In our opinion, we did not breach the planning consents. Our professional team had a very constructive meeting with the SCC Planners today and that the way forward in relation to oil production and obtaining any further consents that are necessary in the future is now clear.
LikeShow More Reactions · 9 March at 19:37
Clayton Wellman
Clayton Wellman the way forward in relation to oil production and obtaining any further consents that are necessary in the future is now clear. – like it was a mystery before
LikeShow More Reactions · 9 March at 19:38
Clayton Wellman
9 March ·
Hey people, tune into BBC london 6:45 to see feature on illegal drilling at Brockham and interviews with Jon O’Houston and me. Spread the word. We need to shut the unscrupulous charlatans down ⬇
LikeShow More ReactionsShare
Reply | Recommend | Report
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad
The Secretary of State had the long version of this letter on Friday, plus additional information to assist him. CC’d were the heads of the OGA, HSE, EA and SCC.
Goodness! Anyone would think there is a decision meeting shortly.
Oh, there is. Couldn’t be a connection could there? Desperate times require desperate measures.
Ha very good Martin. The earthquakes were staged by antis!
Starting to put bets on the academics being from either a Scottish University or retired 🤔. Interesting trend.
What’s your issue with Scottish Uni’s and retired people. I have friends in various fields of study who have retired and in their 70s but are still highly sought after for consultancy work because of decades of being at the top of their game and assimilating a huge knowledge base and experience in their chosen subject.
Professor Peter Styles has warned the government that small faults are often not picked up during seismic survey, despite industry claims, yet small faults can cause seismic events. He further warned the government that at the depth where the U.K. shale is found, only quite large faults can be see, I think he said 50m or larger. And former mining areas, including parts of the Midlands and Yorkshire, are particularly at risk. Yet the government and industry simply press on regardless. At the very least an immediate moratorium should be put in place in Surrey so they can examine the situation more closely.
Although the gas extracted from Groningen in Holland is conventional and it is accepted geology differs, but nevertheless lessons should be learned. At the very start a geologist warned the industry and was ignored, he was mocked by government and industry but he has since been proved right. He warned that the initial small, relatively shallow seismic events were caused by extracting gas and that they would over time increase in both frequency and size.
So last month Ruth you said we should listen to Professor Steve Hicks who has found the depth and fault and it’s a natural east west fault. Not drilling.
He has installed the 5 monitoring stations, and done the full calculated depth study
Many of the tremors happened before UKOG returned to the site
There is no drilling activity, only lowering equiptment down the bore hole
However you don’t like Prof Hicks evidence so you have hawked round the Internet and found some other opinion..
So have these people shown thier workings and evidence for peer review? I think not!
Poor journalism
You just haven’t grasped the importance of what Stephen Hicks found, however the signatories have, and yes, they saw his interpretation.
This reply of yours is so full of errors Tony I haven’t the time to correct them all.
How are you doing Tony ? Have you taken your name off the food rota at Holmwood yet ? So maybe you can explain what has started this fault moving ? Funny how investors like to turn a blind eye to the concerns of those who actually live where this is happening .
Does that equipment include acid ?
Your suggestion that water injection 8 miles away at Brockham and 38 miles away at Lidsey is laughable too!
Jono stated that waste fluids from Lidsey are being reinjected (disposed of) in Brockham, not that reinjection at Lidsey was causing tremors.
So, KatT, HH started AFTER the cluster of tremors. Please explain how there could be a “causal” link? Was the earth tremoring in anticipation, or was it a reaction to the previous invasion of the site by activists? The “science” starts to fall apart pretty quickly.
BGS are now monitoring the situation. A group of disconnected academics who don’t seem to recognise the timeline might be “exciting” but hardly earth shattering-if you can excuse the pun. I can understand the desperation, and it probably is a valid attempt in respect of SCC, but taking this seriously is a step too far.
Small earthquakes are a good thing, they release pressure, better to have lots of small ones over time than have one almighty Big one that nature secretly builds up below the ground. Anyway, Angus have nothing to do with any of them. Purely opposition to oil exploration and production, scare mongering.
Very good point.
Sorry Tommy, but are you actually claiming Professor Richard Selley, Petroleum Geologist, opposes oil exploration and production?
He is the guy who first identified the potential of Weald Shale! So far off the mark it’s not true.
Honestly when is the penny going to drop?
It’s only Richard Sellyes personal interest in the area that he supports the rubbish printed. LOL see link.
https://dorking-museum.myshopify.com/products/dorkings-famous-caves-by-professor-richard-selley
Another NIMBY.
Yes I know he’s local, yet he’s supported it all these long years. So what has changed now?