One of the primary directives of the USGS (United States Geological Survey) is to “monitor and report earthquakes, assess earthquake impacts and hazards, and research the causes and effects of earthquakes.”
The Oklahoma USGS has been very busy over the last 12 years as Oklahoma has seen a drastic increase in earthquakes, earthquakes that have been directly caused by wastewater disposal, a result of the fracking process used to extract oil. The number of earthquakes has skyrocketed so dramatically that Oklahoma is now the most seismically active state in the U.S.
Last year, Oklahoma experienced more than 1,000 earthquakes measuring at least 3.0 in magnitude; that's up from fewer than two in 2008. The state is now the most seismically active in the continental U.S. Seismologists believe the quakes there are the result of wastewater injection wells used by the oil and gas industry.
To put it in perspective, watch this absolutely jaw-dropping animation showing the size and frequency of earthquakes in Oklahoma (and surrounding states) since 2004. Be sure to watch until the end for what looks like a show-stopping Fourth of July fireworks finale:
What in the hell are we doing to the planet?