Which process involves extracting gas that can contaminate water?

Which process involves extracting gas that can contaminate water?

• A. Soil Erosion
• B. Aquifers
• C. Decomposing Bacteria
• D. Fracking

Answer: (D)

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the process that extracts natural gas from shale by injecting large volumes of high-pressure fluid to crack the rock and release gas. This creates pathways for gas to flow to the well. If the well construction isn’t solid or fluids and wastewater aren’t managed properly, methane or the fracturing fluids can migrate into groundwater or surface water, contaminating drinking water supplies. Soil erosion isn’t about gas extraction—it’s the process of soil being removed and carried away by water or wind. An aquifer is an underground layer that stores water, not a gas-extraction method. Decomposing bacteria produce gases as part of organic breakdown, but they don’t describe the mechanism for extracting gas from rock.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the process that extracts natural gas from shale by injecting large volumes of high-pressure fluid to crack the rock and release gas. This creates pathways for gas to flow to the well. If the well construction isn’t solid or fluids and wastewater aren’t managed properly, methane or the fracturing fluids can migrate into groundwater or surface water, contaminating drinking water supplies.

Soil erosion isn’t about gas extraction—it’s the process of soil being removed and carried away by water or wind. An aquifer is an underground layer that stores water, not a gas-extraction method. Decomposing bacteria produce gases as part of organic breakdown, but they don’t describe the mechanism for extracting gas from rock.