hydraulic fracturing

noun

1. a process in which fractures in rocks below the earth's surface are opened and widened by injecting chemicals and liquids at high pressure: used especially to extract natural gas or oil.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hydraulic fracturing¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

WaterBridge manages about 2,500 miles of pipelines and 197 facilities capable of handling roughly 189 million gallons of water daily, helping energy companies dispose of the high volumes of wastewater they produce as a byproduct of oil-and-gas extraction through hydraulic fracturing.

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Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, has been banned many times by different prime ministers since 2011, amid concerns about earthquakes and the impact to the environment.

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Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, has been banned many times by different prime ministers since 2011 over concerns about earthquakes and environmental impacts.

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In a note of particular concern to some in the state, he raised doubts about whether Harris would continue to allow hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, to extract oil and gas.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

For example, with hydraulic fracturing, a technique that is used to break underground rocks with pressurized liquids for extracting oil and gas, a deep rock formation that previously didn't have any detectable number of microbes might have a sudden bloom of microbial activity.

Read more on Science Daily