Oklahoma Earthquake Rate Breaking Records, and Fracking Could Be to Blame
Published on Tuesday, May 6, 2014 by Common Dreams
Oklahoma Earthquake Rate Breaking Records, and Fracking Could Be to Blame
USGS: Increased seismic activity not due to typical, random fluctuations, but to oil, gas injection wells
- Andrea Germanos, staff writer
Fracking-related injection wells are likely behind the "remarkable" increase in earthquakes in Oklahoma, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey have said.
The USGS and the Oklahoma Geological Survey on Friday issued a joint statement warning that the surging seismicity — up roughly 50 percent since October 2013 — means that central Oklahoma is at a significantly increased risk of a 5.5 or greater quake.
Since just the start of this year, 145 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater have struck the state, breaking the record 109 set last year.
Those numbers are a far cry from the two 3.0 magnitude or larger earthquakes per year that occurred between 1978 and 2008.
The USGS stated that the changes "do not seem to be due to typical, random fluctuations in natural seismicity rates."
More:
https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/05/06-3
= new reply since forum marked as read
> Since just the start of this year, 145 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater
> have struck the state, breaking the record 109 set last year.
>
> Those numbers are a far cry from the two 3.0 magnitude or larger earthquakes
> per year that occurred between 1978 and 2008.
>
> The USGS stated that the changes "do not seem to be due to typical, random
> fluctuations in natural seismicity rates."
Yet will anyone listen?