The Barnett Shale is a geological formation that is currently producing a great amount of oil and gas in the north Texas area. A number of large oil companies are sinking a lot of money into the area because the return is very good. One of the features of the formation that yields the oil is that it is dense, that is, it doesn't have much porosity. So, the companies have to fracture the formation.
For the last 5 years, coinciding with the advent of the drilling of the Barnett Shale play, several earthquakes have happened in the area where earthquakes had not happened on any regular basis before. Of course, the people correlate the drilling with the earthquakes.
The University of Texas just released a scientific study on whether the affects of drilling and fracturing the Barnett Shale caused the earthquakes. The cause-effect study was very clear. There was not a correlation between facturing and the local earthquakes. The people of the area decided that the study was not accurate since it didn't uphold their opinions. They could have accepted the study and kept looking for a cause. Knowing the cause of the earthquakes may save them from the big one one of these days. But, no. The herd didn't want to look elsewhere, and thus find a true explanation that would help them in their progress.
That's the way of it. It applies in every area of life. Long-held beliefs underpinning the herd mentality, even in light of evidence to the contrary, rule the day and allow great injustices to continue and not be curtailed. It is so indicative of the mistrust of the average person toward scientific studies. For all the so-called education Americans receive, one could hope that a trust for things educated, such as scientific studies, would help lead the people forward and become more advanced. Alas. The herd would rather follow the adage, "If the blind lead the blind, they both fall into the ditch." Too bad. Society could be a whole lot farther down the road. But, that's just the way of the herd.
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