The surge in Oklahoma earthquakes dates to 2008, and a recent study published in the journal Science bolstered the theory that they have been spurred by injecting wastewater produced during oil and gas development, including fracking, deep into underground wells.
Katie Keranen, a Cornell University seismologist and lead author of the study, also published a 2013 study in the journal Geology that tied wastewater injection to the largest earthquake in Oklahoma history, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake that in 2011 struck the town of Prague, in central Oklahoma. (Related: “Scientists Say Oil Industry Likely Caused Largest Oklahoma Earthquake.”)
via National Geographic. Read the entire article here: Oklahoma Grapples With Earthquake Spike—And Evidence of Industry’s Role.