The biggest tremblor clocked in at 4.3 on the Richter scale
Oklahoma was rocked by seven small earthquakes in a span of about 14 hours over the weekend, the U.S. Geological Survey reports, fueling a theory that fracking is the source of the unusual seismic activity.
Three quakes hit between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, centered in the areas of Guthrie, Jones and Langston, and ranging between 2.6 and 2.9 in magnitude. They followed four larger temblors earlier on Saturday, including one near Langston shortly after noon that clocked in at 4.3 on the Richter scale.
On July 3, the academic journal Science published an article drawing a connection between oil- and gas production using hydraulic fracturing, also known as 'fracking,' and a sharp increase in earthquakes in areas where it takes place. Fracking involves using water, sand and chemicals to create fissures in underground rock formations, through which oil and gas reserves can be freed. It has long been known that fracking can cause miniature quakes, however the study focused on the effect of deep injection wells made to dispose of wastewater after fracking. The authors mentioned that these were 'potentially responsible for the largest swarm' of earthquakes recently experienced in Oklahoma.
Critics have pointed out that the evidence is not definitive and that the same drilling methods have been used for years, while the increase in earthquakes has only happened in the last five years.
Entities 0 Name: Oklahoma Count: 2 1 Name: Langston Count: 2 2 Name: Richter Count: 2 3 Name: Jones Count: 1 4 Name: Guthrie Count: 1 5 Name: U.S. Geological Survey Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1yeZ62G Title: US Geological Survey says 7 small earthquakes strike Oklahoma over weekend Description: The U.S. Geological Survey has recorded seven small earthquakes shaking central Oklahoma in a span of about 14 hours. The temblors are part of an increase in earthquakes across Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas that some scientists say could be connected to the oil and gas drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing, and especially the wells in which the industry disposes of its wastewater.
