The fracking process extracts natural gas from deep below the Earth’s surface. The gas is trapped under layers of rock in a substance called Marcellus shale.
In order to release it, energy companies build a well and then use special drilling equipment to make holes in the rock below.These bore holes may be around 1.5 miles deep.When the drills reach the Marcellus shale, conductors send electrical currents into it. The electricity causes the shale to fracture, making tiny cracks, or fissures.