New Rumblings About Man-Made Quakes: 5 Questions Answered
Tremors linked to oil and gas activities were addressed by two key U.S. agencies this week.
Oklahoma saw more than 100 earthquakes just in the past seven days. You read that right: Oklahoma.
The temblors were joined by other kinds of shifts this week. In two firsts, the state's officials acknowledged its spike in quakes is likely caused by oil and gas industry's underground injections of wastewater; and the federal government released a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon, punctuating the risks for energy-producing states.
The man-made quakes, known as "induced seismicity," aren't confined to Oklahoma. The new U.S. Geological Survey report identifies 17 zones across states including Colorado, Ohio, Arkansas, and Texas that show increased tremors.
Oklahoma's key role in the U.S. oil and gas boom might explain public officials' reluctance to connect it with
