Oklahoma faces continued risk of quakes linked to drilling: USGS
Source: Reuters
U.S. | Wed Mar 1, 2017 | 1:23pm EST
Oklahoma faces continued risk of quakes linked to drilling: USGS
By Valerie Volcovici | WASHINGTON
Parts of Oklahoma and Kansas are likely to experience damaging earthquakes as a result of oil and gas industry activity in 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Wednesday in its second annual forecast of natural and human-caused seismic risk.
The forecast comes amid a years-long string of temblors in Oklahoma that has coincided with a drilling boom in the state, and which scientists have attributed to wastewater disposal wells used by the oil and gas industry.
"The good news is that the overall seismic hazard for this year is lower than in the 2016 forecast, but despite this decrease, there is still a significant likelihood for damaging ground shaking in the (Central and Eastern United States) in the year ahead," said Mark Petersen, chief of the USGS National Seismic Hazard Mapping Project.
The seismic risk maps are used by emergency management officials as well as the country's major engineering and design associations to guide how strong to construct new buildings.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fracking-quake-idUSKBN16859V