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South Africa identifies research gaps for shale gas exploration

Image: South African Tourism [CC BY 2.0], via Flickr

Scientific answers needed to dispel misinformation and address community fears around fracking, expert panel says

South African scientists have listed 36 research tasks that need to be undertaken—some urgently—to safely prospect for shale gas in the country using a controversial technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

The tasks include finding out basic information about gas reserves in the country’s central Karoo basin, such as how much gas there is and whether it can be affordably retrieved.

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