A couple of weeks ago I looked at the relationship between wastewater injection wells associated with hydraulic fracturing and earthquakes and concluded that not only is there overwhelming scientific evidence of a relationship, but man-made earthquakes related to fracking have been increasing rapidly as fracking has increased. The post featured a video interview with Dr. Elizabeth Cochran, co-author of a study that showed the relationship between injection wells and earthquakes in Oklahoma.
Earthquake activity in Oklahoma due to fracking increased over a thousandfold between 2009 and 2013, as shown in the graph at left. But that’s not the end of the story. Now, in 2014, earthquake activity has spiked again over 2013 levels. In fact, in the last seven days, according to the Oklahoma Geological Survey, there have been 173 earthquakes in Oklahoma — over one an hour. If you extrapolate that over a year, that’s nearly 9,000 earthquakes! (Note that if you count, your numbers may not match mine because the site charts real time data for the last seven days.
Officials are being careful not to say
definitively that this new spike in earthquakes is related to oil and gas activity, but, since we’ve already established the relationship between injection wells and earthquakes in Oklahoma, and the number of earthquakes tracks exactly with the doubling of oil production in Oklahoma from 2010 to 2013, and since the state is full of the type of injection wells that have been associated with earthquakes (see map at right), it’s pretty safe to say that 2 + 2 = 4.
According to Dr. Austin Holland, a seismologist for the Oklahoma Geological Survey, it’s also possible we’ve reached a “geological tipping point” which has set off this spate of quakes. Who knows where it will lead?
If you’re imagining what it might be like to experience a minor earthquake in Red Lodge every hour, think beyond the sensation of getting a regular shake to the experience of cracking in your walls and home foundation, and to the loud “BOOM” that accompanies each quake. This news report gives a feel for what it’s like to experience regular quakes.
One more
This came across my desk after I wrote the above. Two central Arkansas families have filed suit against Chesapeake Oil and Billiton Petroleum for causing “thousands of earthquakes” that damaged homes and caused the state’s largest earthquake in the last 35 years. The earthquakes were charted on the map at left. For more, follow the link.
Fracking by Chesapeake oil and Billiton Petroleum caused “thousands of earthquakes” that damaged homes and caused the state’s largest earthquake in the past 35 years, two Central Arkansas families claim in court.
And last, here’s a nice clear and short explanation of why injection wells cause earthquakes. Recommended for the non-technical. The language is cautious, but the meaning is clear: when we increase drilling using modern technology, we cause earthquakes.












