If the words “Triassic Basin” conjure up images of the cloned dinosaurs rampaging through the film “Jurassic Park,” it’s not surprising. Both main terms in those phrases are references to eras of the earth’s history and their related geological formations.
North Carolinians will be hearing a lot more about the Triassic Basin in coming months with the July 2 passage of SB 820, which legalizes hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as a method of extracting natural gas in our state. The legislation calls for the creation of a 15-member appointed Mining and Energy Commission to develop regulations for fracking and sets a deadline of October 2014 to have those regulations in place.
The largest geological formation expected to be the main focus of fracking in North Carolina includes the Deep River Basin areas in Anson, Richmond, Montgomery, Lee, Chatham, Durham and Granville counties. A second area is in the Dan River Basin in Stokes and Rockingham counties.
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