A study by researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey just published by the Seismological Society of America has determined that a series of earthquakes, from Alabama to the Rocky Mountains, have been caused by oil and natural gas drilling.
Via the Environmental Working Group's report on the matter:
According to the study led by USGS geophysicist William Ellsworth, the spike in earthquakes since 2001 near oil and gas extraction operations is “almost certainly man-made.” The research team cites underground injection of drilling wastewater as a possible cause.
The study conducted by USGS researchers, which will be presented next week in San Diego, appears to confirm that the staggering rise in seismic activity in the U.S. in recent years can be attributed to drilling activities.
The rise in numbers are, in and of themselves, remarkable (as well as frightening):
The study found that the frequency of earthquakes started rising in 2001 across a broad swath of the country between Alabama and Montana. In 2009, there were 50 earthquakes greater than magnitude-3.0, the abstract states, then 87 quakes in 2010. The 134 earthquakes in the zone last year is a sixfold increase over 20th century levels.
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