Initial Publication Date: September 24, 2025

The Fracking pcMEL

The Fracking pcMEL engages students in a scientific discussion around the topic of whether or not there is a relation between hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations and increases in moderate magnitude earthquakes in Midwestern US. With increases in fracking operations, it is important for students to understand how to weigh the connection between evidence and alternative explanations about associated phenomena.

The Models

Model A: The increase in moderate magnitude earthquakes in the Midwest is caused by fracking for fossil fuels.
Model B: The increase in moderate magnitude earthquakes in the Midwest is caused by normal tectonic plate motion.

Show me information about the models.

Student Handouts

Fracking pcMEL Model Plausibility Ratings (Acrobat (PDF) 181kB Jul10 25)

Fracking pcMEL Diagram (Acrobat (PDF) 183kB Jul10 25)

Explanation Task (Acrobat (PDF) 52kB May6 24)

Lines of Evidence

Evidence #1: Wastewater injected into the ground changes the stress in Earth's crust.
Evidence #2: During recent years, the number of earthquakes near fracking sites was 11 times higher than the 30-year average.
Evidence #3: Convection of hot but solid and ductile rocks in the upper mantle creates stresses in Earth's crust. These stresses cause Earth's crust to fracture.
Evidence #4: Many earthquakes are currently occurring in regions surrounding fracking sites.

Student Handouts

Fracking pcMEL – Evidence Texts Color (Acrobat (PDF) 955kB Jul9 24)
Fracking pcMEL – Evidence Texts BW (Acrobat (PDF) 627kB Jul9 24)

When the Fracking MEL was first introduced to the students, it was became clear that the geologic processes involved in fracking were unfamiliar to most. This introductory background reading was developed to assist students.

Introduction to Fossil Fuel Drilling and Fracking (Acrobat (PDF) 1.9MB Jul9 24)

Virtual MEL

*NOTE: The virtual materials below are from an older version of the activity than what is posted above.

The Google Drive folder below contains MEL resource documents in the Google formats. In order to maximize the flexibility of our activities, the MEL Project Team wanted to make more resources compatible with virtual settings. We have made our MEL scaffolds available in Google formats, so that they can be copied, modified, and uploaded more easily on a variety of platforms and devices. Please note that to access all the materials for each MEL scaffold, you will need a Google account. View the README file first.