Earthquakes can be induced by pumping of waste water to deep wells ! A dramatic increase in earthquakes in central Oklahoma, US, since 2009 is attributable to subsurface waste water injection at just a handful of disposal wells. The study also concluded: - Four of the highest-volume disposal wells in Oklahoma (~0.05% of wells) are capable of triggering ~20% of recent central U.S. earthquakes in a swarm covering nearly 2,000 square kilometers. - Earthquakes are induced at distances over 30 km from the disposal wells. These distances are far beyond existing criteria of 5 km from the well for diagnosis of induced earthquakes. - The area of increased pressure related to these wells continually expands, increasing the probability of encountering a larger fault and thus increasing the risk of triggering a higher-magnitude earthquake. sciencedaily/releases/2014/07/140703142340.htm
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 14:26:52 +0000
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