Manmade Earthquakes
Earthquakes are usually caused by the release of potential energy of fault lines where two tectonic plates meet. But earthquakes can have other causes, such as the eruption of a volcano. Unnaturally, earthquakes can be caused by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a technique of obtaining natural gas and oil.
Fracking works by drilling down into the ground to a deposit of oil or natural gas and injecting millions of gallons of water, chemical, and sand at high pressure, cracking rock and releasing the nonrenewable resources (Food and Water Watch). However violent this may seem, it is not believed to be the cause of the earthquakes.
The cause of the earthquakes is believed to be the method of disposal of the drilling chemicals. Disposal of waste water occurs at high pressure underground. This is what creates the earthquakes (The Real News).
Earthquakes have increased dramatically over the last 40 or so years. Between 1973 and 2008, there was an average of 21 earthquakes of magnitude 3 and larger in the central and eastern United States. Between 2009 and 2013, there were 99. In 2014, there were 659 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or higher (Ellsworth).
Oklahoma is not naturally prone to earthquakes, as there are no natural fault lines where most of the earthquakes are occurring. However, fracking injection wells have caused fault lines to open up (Smith). This leads to even more earthquakes.
Fracking can also poison drinking water, release methane into the environment, and fill houses with methane, allowing them to blow up with a spark. Activists in the town of Denton, Texas are working to ban fracking in Denton. Fracking is allowed inside residential areas and 250 feet from homes and playgrounds. Tourism is dropping in Denton due to the increasing fracking wells (Frack Free Denton). If fracking continues, towns like Denton that allow fracking will have earthquakes as well.
Works Cited
"10 Reasons to Ban Fracking in Denton." Frack Free Denton. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
Ellsworth, Bill, Joern Kaven, Andrea Llenos, Art McGarr, and Justin Rubinstein. "Induced Earthquakes." Induced Earthquakes. USGS. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
"Fracking." Food and Water Watch. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
"Seismologist: Fracking Injection Wells Linked to Earthquakes." The Real News.com. 25 Apr. 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
Smith, Heather. "US Government Says Drilling Causes Earthquakes – What Took Them so Long?" The Guardian. 24 Apr. 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.