Kim McLendon. Wastewater from oil and gas production operations can be disposed of by injecting it into deep underground wells, below aquifers that provide drinking water. From to , there was an average of 24 earthquakes of magnitude 3. From to , the rate steadily increased, averaging per year and peaking in with 1, earthquakes. Through mid-March in , there have been earthquakes of magnitude 3.
CEUS with potential for damaging shaking from induced seismicity. Within a few portions of the CEUS, the chance of damage from all types of earthquakes is similar to that of natural earthquakes in high-hazard areas of California. Oklahoma and Texas have the largest populations exposed to induced earthquakes. This research also shows that much more of the nation faces a significant chance of having damaging earthquakes over the next year, whether natural or human-induced.
The USGS chose this short timeframe of one year because induced earthquake activity can increase or decrease with time and is subject to commercial and policy decisions that could change rapidly. The high rate of earthquakes that began in began to drop off last year, which Yeck thinks may be due to the decrease in wastewater injection in this area. Original article on Live Science. Live Science. Sarah B. Ultimately, we are having more earthquakes of all intensities.
Please contact the Oklahoma Geological Survey expressing your interest in housing an OGS temporary or permanent seismic station. We will keep your information on file and contact you when and if we have the equipment and interest in placing one on your property. Another option is to look into the Quake-Catcher-Network.
QCN is a volunteer hosted real-time strong-motion seismic network utilizing sensors in and attached to internet-connected computers. The Raspberry Shake is a personal seismograph that you can purchase and install in your home with relative ease. The increase of magnitude of 3. This arises from the Gutenberg-Richter law which expresses the relationship between magnitude and frequency of earthquakes in a given region and time period.
Simply stated, for every 10 magnitude 2. So, for every magnitude 2. This relationship holds worldwide and does not vary significantly from region to region or over time. Furthermore the energy released by a small event M2. Each whole number step in the magnitude scale corresponds to the release of about For instance, a magnitude 2. In addition there are many different ways to calculate magnitude and each make different assumptions and provide different results. There is no single magnitude for any earthquake as there are always multiple estimates, but they generally agree quite well.
With the rate of seismicity currently occurring in the State of Oklahoma, and our limited resources, the Oklahoma Geological Survey is unable to locate all earthquakes. At a minimum, OGS is working hard to locate all events above a magnitude 2. In time, our seismic team will reexamine our catalogs and locate these smaller events. If you feel an earthquake, you can report this to the OGS by completing a brief form.
The earthquakes occur when wastewater created by fracking is pumped down disposal wells deep inside the earth. There are now more than , disposal wells for fracking wastewater in the United States.
Study co-author Art McGarr and his colleagues are asking for better monitoring of earthquakes and more studies into fracking. What is your opinion on fracking and earthquakes?
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