Software utilises satellite radar to monitor fracking and land stability

Researchers from Nottingham University have developed software that uses satellite radar data to identify millimetre-scale vertical movements in the landscape in a way that was previously impossible in rural areas.

This could allow landowners, local authorities and fracking firms to identify areas of high seismic activity that may be more likely to produce tremors if hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is used to drill for gas beneath them.

‘What this system gives us is regional coverage so we can see how large areas are moving over time,’ said Dr Colm Jordan from the British Geological Society, who has been working with the Nottingham researchers to validate the software. ‘This gives a more complete picture of what’s happening in rural areas.’

The technique could also be used to monitor whether fracking is causing seismic activity in an area during and after drilling operations – but only if fracking is found to cause surface movement.