A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) team has found that a sharp jump in earthquakes in America’s heartland appears to be linked to oil and natural gas drilling operations.
As hydraulic fracturing has exploded onto the scene, it has increasingly been connected to earthquakes. Some quakes may be caused by the original fracking — that is, by injecting a fluid mixture into the earth to release natural gas (or oil). More appear to be caused by reinjecting the resulting brine deep underground.
Last August, a USGS report examined a cluster of earthquakes in Oklahoma and reported:
Our analysis showed that shortly after hydraulic fracturing began small earthquakes started occurring, and more than 50 were identified, of which 43 were large enough to be located. Most of these earthquakes occurred within a 24 hour period after hydraulic fracturing operations had ceased.
As Hurricane Melissa crept closer to Jamaica on Monday, Oct. 27, the island nation braced for...
The Trump administration has approved more oil and gas drilling across Alaska’s Arctic national wildlife refuge...
Melissa intensified into a hurricane on Saturday, Oct. 25, as it continued its slow slog across...
Icelanders may be the last group of people on Earth to experience the pesky bite of...
