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Hydraulic fracturing, a technique that has helped unlock vast new oil and natural gas supplies in the United States – and which has potential to do the same worldwide – has in this century become a contentious issue in which both proponents and opponents express strong views. Proponents have said the use of hydraulic fracturing has resulted in historically high levels of recovered oil and gas, which has helped lower energy costs. Opposing arguments maintained hydraulic fracturing, most widely known by the colloquial term “fracking,” was dangerous to U.S. drinking water reservoirs. Some resolution of the topic was achieved in June 2015, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a long-awaited report on the practice, concluding that’s its four-year study found no signs of “widespread, systemic” pollution that were linked to “fracking.” Still, for many people not in the industry, details about the technology, concepts, intent and utilization of the technique remain a mystery. This paper, produced by the AAPG Division of Environmental Geosciences (DEG), has been offered to help answer those questions. Part of our mission is to communicate to the public the science behind issues that affect the exploration for and production of petroleum and other energy mineral resources.