A shale gas boom in the US has pushed natural gas prices to less than a quarter of their peak.
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Pump jacks and wells are seen in an oil field on the Monterey Shale formation. Critics of fracking in California cite concerns over water usage and possible chemical pollution of ground water sources as California farmers are forced to leave unprecedented expanses of fields fallow in one of the worst droughts in California history. David McNew / Getty Images / AFP -
Gas is flared as waste from the Monterey Shale formation. Concerns also include the possibility of earthquakes triggered by the fracking process which injects water, sand and various chemicals under high pressure into the ground to break the rock to release oil and gas for extraction though a well. David McNew / Getty Images / AFP -
The 800-mile-long San Andreas Fault runs north and south on the western side of the Monterey Formation in the Central Valley and is thought to be the most dangerous fault in the nation. David McNew / Getty Images / AFP -
Pump jacks are seen at dawn in an oil field over the Monterey Shale formation. David McNew / Getty Images / AFP -
Proponents of the fracking boom saying that the expansion of petroleum extraction is good for the economy and security by developing more domestic energy sources and increasing gas and oil exports. David McNew / Getty Images / AFP -
Swallows fly past a high pressure gas line crossing a canal in an oil field over the Monterey Shale formation. David McNew / Getty Images / AFP -
US shale gas production has risen rapidly in recent years. David McNew / Getty Images / AFP -
Dairy cattle are lit from behind by the glow of gas being flared as waste from the Monterey Shale formation. David McNew / Getty Images / AFP -
Pump jacks and wells are seen in an oil field on the Monterey Shale formation. David McNew / Getty Images / AFP -
Night falls on the Monterey Shale formation. David McNew / Getty Images / AFP
In pictures: Shale oil and gas boom in the US
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