USGS report correlates earthquake triggering to human activity

A newly released report from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has for the first time attempted to establish a connection between human activities such as fracking with earthquake occurrence. Even though small in magnitude, human-induced earthquakes are becoming gradually important and warnings that greater magnitude events may be generated are expressed. 

The report issued by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) supports that human activities and especially wastewater injection and hydraulic fracturing may essentially trigger a great number of earthquakes. According to the scientists, many low-magnitude earthquakes - recorded using very sensitive equipment - "are located near deep fluid injection wells or other industrial activities capable of inducing earthquakes". Even though their frequency and magnitude were not a concern so far, "dramatic increases in seismicity rates have been observed in the Central United States in the past 5 to 7 years. This increase is reported to be stimulated by injection of wastewater or other fluids in deep disposal wells". 

For instance, Oklahoma, which has evolved to be a fracking center, has witnessed a significant increase from 1.5 a year to 2.5 a day in the frequency of magnitude 3 and stronger seismic events. The state was also shaken by the magnitude 5.6 Prague earthquake in 2011 and even though scientists attribute its occurrence to fracking, the debate on the event's causes is still under dispute. 

Authors of the report admit this is an initial effort to quantify the problem, whose dimensions appear to be growing and acknowledge that further research is required to come up with reliable seismic hazard models. They also express their concerns that stronger earthquakes may be triggered as a result of industrial human activity, which may even reach a magnitude 7, causing millions of dollars of damage.

 To access the full report in pdf format, please click here!