Earthquake of 4.6 magnitude in British Columbia caused by fracking, says regulator

Scientists claim last summer’s quake might be the largest caused by hydraulic fracturing

Fracking operations have triggered small earthquakes in the past (Casey Hugelfink/Flickr)

An earthquake of 4.6 magnitude in western Canada was caused by fracking, according to the region's energy regulator.

The British Coumbia Oil and Gas Commission said that the earthquake, which occurred in August, “was caused by fluid injection during hyrdraulic fracturing from an operator in the area,” the Globe and Mail reported.

Fracking operations have triggered small earthquakes in the past, but scientists claim last summer’s quake in British Columbia might be the largest caused by hydraulic fracturing, according to CBC news.

The epicentre of the quake was three kilometres from a fracking site operated by Progress Energy. Workers at the site reported that their trucks shook and power poles swayed. In a written statement, Progress Energy says it takes the incident very seriously and is closely monitoring seismic activity near its site, the Globe and Mail reported.

Hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" as it is more commonly known, involves pumping a mixture of sand, water and chemicals underground at high pressures to fracture rock and release trapped natural gas.