North America’s largest recorded earthquake hit Alaska 45 years ago. As expected, the quake briefly but significantly stimulated oil and gas production in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. But Tim Spanos, a physics professor at the University of Alberta, noticed an unusual timing in the increased output.

What began as a steep learning curve to economically produce the massive quantities of shale gas in emerging plays around North America is becoming flatter by the day as the majors throw their considerable research expertise at the problem.