Could pumping CO2 under Canada's coast cause earthquakes?

Injecting CO2 underground might increase pressure along geological faults and cause earthquakes, but a report concludes the risk is minimal for a proposed CO2 storage site near Vancouver Island

By James Dinneen

4 August 2023

Carbon dioxide could be stored under the seafloor near Vancouver Island

Shutterstock/EB Adventure Photography

A plan to inject millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the seafloor off Canada’s west coast appears to come with very little risk of triggering an earthquake. But such “induced seismicity” could be an issue for carbon storage projects elsewhere.

Carbon capture and storage involves capturing carbon dioxide from the air or from a source of emissions and permanently storing it – usually underground – in order to reduce the amount of the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. …

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