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SCIENCESaturday 25 April 2015
Scientists convinced of tie between earthquakes and drilling
ALICIA CHANG drilling instead of injecting triggered by drilling. The William Ellsworth. each year. It is now see-
AP Science Writer it underground. report said man-made Until recently, Oklahoma ing an average of 2.5
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sci- A series of government quakes tied to industry — one of the biggest such quakes each day,
entists are now more cer- and academic studies operations have been on energy-producing states according to geologists.
tain than ever that oil and over the past few years the rise. — had been cautious Yet another study, this
gas drilling is causing hun- — including at least two Scientists have mainly at- about linking the spate of one published Tuesday in
dreds upon hundreds of reports released this week tributed the spike to the quakes to drilling. But the the journal Nature Com-
earthquakes across the alone — has added to injection of wastewater Oklahoma Geological munications, connected
U.S., with the evidence the body of evidence im- deep underground, a Survey acknowledged a swarm of small quakes
coming in from one study plicating the U.S. drilling practice they say can earlier this week that it west of Fort Worth, Texas,
after another. boom that has created activate dormant faults. is “very likely” that re- to nearby natural gas
So far, the quakes have wells and wastewater dis-
been mostly small and This Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011 file photo of a chimney that toppled and went through the roof at the posal.
have done little damage The American Petroleum
beyond cracking plas- home of Joe and Mary Reneau are pictured through a second-story screen window in Sparks, Institute said the industry
ter, toppling bricks and is working with scientists
rattling nerves. But seis- Okla. Associated Press and regulators “to better
mologists warn that the understand the issue and
shaking can dramatically a bounty of jobs and tax Only a few cases of shak- cent seismic activity was work toward collabora-
increase the chances of revenue over the past de- ing have been blamed caused by the injection tive solutions.”
bigger, more dangerous cade or so. on fracking, in which of wastewater into dis- The Environmental Pro-
quakes. On Thursday, the U.S. large volumes of water, posal wells. tection Agency said
Up to now, the oil and gas Geological Survey re- sand and chemicals are Earthquake activity in there no plans for new
industry has generally ar- leased the first compre- pumped into rock forma- Oklahoma in 2013 was 70 regulations as a result of
gued that any such link hensive maps pinpointing tions to crack them open times greater than it was the USGS study.
requires further study. But more than a dozen areas and free oil or gas. before 2008, state geolo- “We knew there would
the rapidly mounting evi- in the central and east- “The picture is very clear” gists reported. Oklahoma be challenges there, but
dence could bring heavi- ern U.S. that have been that wastewater injection historically recorded an they can be overcome,”
er regulation down on jolted by quakes that the can cause faults to move, average of 1.5 quakes of EPA Administrator Gina
drillers and make it more researchers said were said USGS geophysicist magnitude 3 or greater McCarthy said Thursday
difficult for them to get at an energy conference
projects approved. in Houston.
The potential for man- For decades, earthquakes
made quakes “is an im- were an afterthought in
portant and legitimate the central and eastern
concern that must be U.S., which worried more
taken very seriously by about tornadoes, floods
regulators and industry,” and hurricanes. Since
said Jason Bordoff, found- 2009, quakes have sharp-
ing director of the Center ly increased, and in some
on Global Energy Policy surprising places.
at Columbia University. The ground has been
He said companies and trembling in regions that
states can reduce the were once seismically
risk by taking such steps stable, including parts
as monitoring operations of Alabama, Arkansas,
more closely, imposing Colorado, Kansas, New
tighter standards and re- Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma
cycling wastewater from and Texas.q
SCIENCESaturday 25 April 2015
Scientists convinced of tie between earthquakes and drilling
ALICIA CHANG drilling instead of injecting triggered by drilling. The William Ellsworth. each year. It is now see-
AP Science Writer it underground. report said man-made Until recently, Oklahoma ing an average of 2.5
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sci- A series of government quakes tied to industry — one of the biggest such quakes each day,
entists are now more cer- and academic studies operations have been on energy-producing states according to geologists.
tain than ever that oil and over the past few years the rise. — had been cautious Yet another study, this
gas drilling is causing hun- — including at least two Scientists have mainly at- about linking the spate of one published Tuesday in
dreds upon hundreds of reports released this week tributed the spike to the quakes to drilling. But the the journal Nature Com-
earthquakes across the alone — has added to injection of wastewater Oklahoma Geological munications, connected
U.S., with the evidence the body of evidence im- deep underground, a Survey acknowledged a swarm of small quakes
coming in from one study plicating the U.S. drilling practice they say can earlier this week that it west of Fort Worth, Texas,
after another. boom that has created activate dormant faults. is “very likely” that re- to nearby natural gas
So far, the quakes have wells and wastewater dis-
been mostly small and This Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011 file photo of a chimney that toppled and went through the roof at the posal.
have done little damage The American Petroleum
beyond cracking plas- home of Joe and Mary Reneau are pictured through a second-story screen window in Sparks, Institute said the industry
ter, toppling bricks and is working with scientists
rattling nerves. But seis- Okla. Associated Press and regulators “to better
mologists warn that the understand the issue and
shaking can dramatically a bounty of jobs and tax Only a few cases of shak- cent seismic activity was work toward collabora-
increase the chances of revenue over the past de- ing have been blamed caused by the injection tive solutions.”
bigger, more dangerous cade or so. on fracking, in which of wastewater into dis- The Environmental Pro-
quakes. On Thursday, the U.S. large volumes of water, posal wells. tection Agency said
Up to now, the oil and gas Geological Survey re- sand and chemicals are Earthquake activity in there no plans for new
industry has generally ar- leased the first compre- pumped into rock forma- Oklahoma in 2013 was 70 regulations as a result of
gued that any such link hensive maps pinpointing tions to crack them open times greater than it was the USGS study.
requires further study. But more than a dozen areas and free oil or gas. before 2008, state geolo- “We knew there would
the rapidly mounting evi- in the central and east- “The picture is very clear” gists reported. Oklahoma be challenges there, but
dence could bring heavi- ern U.S. that have been that wastewater injection historically recorded an they can be overcome,”
er regulation down on jolted by quakes that the can cause faults to move, average of 1.5 quakes of EPA Administrator Gina
drillers and make it more researchers said were said USGS geophysicist magnitude 3 or greater McCarthy said Thursday
difficult for them to get at an energy conference
projects approved. in Houston.
The potential for man- For decades, earthquakes
made quakes “is an im- were an afterthought in
portant and legitimate the central and eastern
concern that must be U.S., which worried more
taken very seriously by about tornadoes, floods
regulators and industry,” and hurricanes. Since
said Jason Bordoff, found- 2009, quakes have sharp-
ing director of the Center ly increased, and in some
on Global Energy Policy surprising places.
at Columbia University. The ground has been
He said companies and trembling in regions that
states can reduce the were once seismically
risk by taking such steps stable, including parts
as monitoring operations of Alabama, Arkansas,
more closely, imposing Colorado, Kansas, New
tighter standards and re- Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma
cycling wastewater from and Texas.q
