Oklahoma is the Undisputed Earthquake Capital of America.

Original news story here.

Synopsis:

In 2014, the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) counted 562 earthquakes in Oklahoma with a magnitude 3.0 or greater, to California’s 180. Oklahoma is half the size of California and has seen a meteoric rise in earthquakes. Oklahoma had 100 comparable quakes in 2013, itself an increase from 2012. The state averaged 1-3 quakes a year from 1975 to 2008, in 2009 the number grew to 20.

“CIR says scientists lay the blame squarely on the oil and gas industry: “Numerous studies agree that wastewater disposal from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a major factor in increasing seismic activity.” One of them, published last May in Science magazine, was entitled, ‘Sharp Increase in Central Oklahoma Seismicity Since 2008 Induced by Massive Wastewater Injection.’”

Injection wells and the fracking process itself are implicated. Oklahoma pumped more than 50 billion gallons of wastewater back into injection wells last year. Another area experiencing a fracking boom, North Dakota’s Bakken fields are the most heavily fracked in the country, but have not experienced more earthquakes. ND is not near any known fault lines; Oklahoma is.

Kansas also appears to be affected by the seismic activity. The state went from 2 to 42 in 2014, a 2,000% increase, with most quakes being near the Oklahoma border. Evidence suggests that these induced quakes tend to be smaller than regular quakes occurring in nature, which make it difficult to quantify risks for use in altering building codes and setting insurance rates.

The USGS is in the process of reworking its hazard models as scientists seek to understand the threat from fracking and injection wells. As the science is still being developed, oil and gas industry representatives deny any connection between fracking and earthquakes.

Fracking has been implicated in groundwater contamination, air pollution, releases of methane gas, sink holes and earthquakes. As of January 31, Oklahoma had recorded 76 earthquakes of 3.0 magnitude or higher in 2015, compared with California’s 10. The small area of south-central Kansas (on the Oklahoma border) now averages one 3.0 magnitude quake every two days, a number increasing to meet, and eventually beat, the entire state of California.