Oklahoma quakes quintuple over past year; over 500 3.0+ in 2014

Geophysicists are finally getting concerned about the continuing increase in Oklahoma quakes over the past five years. The sudden rise in quakes started in 2009, but wasn't much in comparison to the amount of quakes today. 2014 so far, saw 549 quakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater (19 of which were more than 4.0) with only 109 quakes of this size in 2013.



Smaller quakes have also continued to rise. But, as our resident quake experts tell us here at ATS, there isn't enough energy released from these small quakes to cause much alarm. Now, the USGS has decided to study the trend because as one of their own geophysicists says, “Because, the more small earthquakes you have generally leads to the occurrence of more large earthquakes,” he said. “So the possibility of a damaging earthquake is higher in the last couple years.”

A new scientific group focused on studying induced seismicity has been formed. There probably are six to 10 researchers working on the issue, with about four or five working full time now, according to Williams.

“This group, along with others from academia, have published a number of papers — eight or so papers in the last couple of years in peer review journals — that point toward water in disposal wells injected deep under ground as contributing to the cause of earthquakes in Oklahoma.”

A USGS statement released in May, in collaboration with the Oklahoma Geological Survey, indicated the likelihood of injection wells contributing to the seismicity and noted a higher chance of earthquakes, Williams said.

Enid News

So studies are pointing towards injection wells as the cause. And this may very well be true because small quakes are increasing in other fracking areas, but at the same time, there are some areas where fracking is occurring and quakes remain low. I'm going to venture out and agree here that injection wells are playing a big role because the same thing is happening in Kansas. Quakes are rising there which historically has never had quakes. They started fracking in the area in 2012.

But, IMO, there's more at play here than just fracking because quakes are rising consistently all over the world. I think its part of the bounce-back theory James Maguire proposed some years back. It has to do with a warming planet and melting ice. There's massive weight shifts on land and sea as permafrost and glacial ice melt relieving pressure or adding pressure, which is resulting in increasing quakes and volcanoes, as well as sinkholes and other land subsidence events. Check it out here for a more detailed explanation Why are earthquakes increasing?

What say you ATS...is it finally becoming obvious fracking has some bad side effects, or is there more at play?

“Because, the more small earthquakes you have generally leads to the occurrence of more large earthquakes,” he said. “So the possibility of a damaging earthquake is higher in the last couple years.”

The risk of a large quake is only slightly, and minimally, higher in an area like this where a quake swarm is involved, with magnitudes less than 4.0.

What we have repeatedly seen though, is when there is a small swarm on one of the world subduction zones involving high magnitude quakes of over 6.0, then there really is a much higher risk of a very big quake.

As to why all these small quakes in OK, waste water injection could be the cause, but I have yet to see a study that conclusively links the two. Even the USGS are using words like "MAY" have been the cause, because they aren't sure either.

My view is that the quakes are probably just shallow, incidental rock adjustments to the natural motion of the North American Plate moving southwest. Over time this creates localized stresses, sometimes in one spot, and sometimes over wider areas, that get released as quakes. This has happened many times before in different areas that previously had no quakes. Reno, as an example.

And it could start happening pretty much anywhere. But then it always goes away, like it probably will over the next year or two in OK.

a reply to: Rezlooper

As you said, the sudden rise in quakes started in 2009, yet the fracting didnt start til 2012. Im sure the fracting has some effect, but it does seem to me that earthquakes are on a rise. I think the earth is inflating as the poles absorb solar ions. The increase in solar activity does seem to parallel the seismic activity.

I'm not ready to say ban franking, but I am glad to see people are looking into it more seriously. I'd like to return to my home in okc and have it not be a heap of rubble.

originally posted by: BELIEVERpriest
a reply to: Rezlooper

As you said, the sudden rise in quakes started in 2009, yet the fracting didnt start til 2012. Im sure the fracting has some effect, but it does seem to me that earthquakes are on a rise. I think the earth is inflating as the poles absorb solar ions. The increase in solar activity does seem to parallel the seismic activity.

The fracking started sooner than 2009 in OK. It was in KS where they started fracking in 2012 and within a year small quakes started occurring.

originally posted by: TrueAmerican

My view is that the quakes are probably just shallow, incidental rock adjustments to the natural motion of the North American Plate moving southwest. Over time this creates localized stresses, sometimes in one spot, and sometimes over wider areas, that get released as quakes. This has happened many times before in different areas that previously had no quakes. Reno, as an example.

Do you think that the North American plate could be moving due to glacial or permafrost ice melt?

a reply to: Rezlooper

Haven't heard from you in a while, Rezlooper. Nice to see that you're still around. Yes, the increase in Earthquakes is alarming, however, I believe that this would happen with or without Fracking. Even though the fricking-Fracking doesn't help, I believe that Fracking only serves to speed--up the process.

originally posted by: lostbook
a reply to: Rezlooper

Haven't heard from you in a while, Rezlooper. Nice to see that you're still around. Yes, the increase in Earthquakes is alarming, however, I believe that this would happen with or without Fracking. Even though the fricking-Fracking doesn't help, I believe that Fracking only serves to speed--up the process.

That's my thoughts as well. That second link I provided is a piece from my book that I wrote on all this subject, well, having to do with methane and hydrogen sulfide gases, of course. But, I believe that ice melt is causing added pressure on the continental plates under the oceans while relieving pressure on land. As you can see in TA's response above, he believes these quakes are caused by movement of the North American plate, which IMO, may have to do with ice melt, but I asked him and we'll see what he thinks.

He said it's a rock adjustment, but I think it's more of a tearing. There are a lot of quakes happening that aren't along any plate boundaries but far from them. When you think of the sinkhole phenomenon, it leads one to believe that it's more of a tearing of the plates, which is causing the "rock adjustments" which is causing sinkholes, landslides and even land cracks, not to mention the quakes. This is also the most likely culprit for the loud sonic booms when these movements occur.

It's been pretty insane this year. I haven't remarked on it in the past few months - but we've continued to have quakes. There are some crazy stats from this year - something like having as many 2.5+ quakes this year alone as we had since they started recording them in the previous 50 years.

A M4+ a few miles away did some damage at my house back in August. Many have been between OKC and northwards. Then... there was that M4.8 in Kansas not too long ago - it shook buildings enough that people felt them 150 miles away, south of Oklahoma City.

Which brings me to a concern that I have. This is the Nemaha Ridge - which is mostly near where these earthquakes have been happening:

Then, a month or two ago, I came across the ancient Midcontinental Rift. The rift is supposed to be dead... a failed split in the continent, but look at where it goes:


They run into each other. I'm not sure that they are they are part of the same structure, but they sure as heck meet geographically.

As I understand it, Rez, the predominant tectonic plate theory holds that these movements are caused by continental drift:

Tectonic plates are able to move because the Earth's lithosphere has greater strength than the underlying asthenosphere. Lateral density variations in the mantle result in convection. Plate movement is thought to be driven by a combination of the motion of the seafloor away from the spreading ridge (due to variations in topography and density of the crust, which result in differences in gravitational forces) and drag, with downward suction, at the subduction zones. Another explanation lies in the different forces generated by the rotation of the globe and the tidal forces of the Sun and Moon. The relative importance of each of these factors and their relationship to each other is unclear, and still the subject of much debate.

en.wikipedia.org...

So maybe it's possible that ice melt could play into that indirectly, but it seems to be mostly because of the causes mentioned in the quote above.

Then again, it could be a massive, deep supervolcanic magma plume rearing its ugly new head to kill us all.

a reply to: Greven

Well, let's hope it's not coming alive because that rift leads right up to my front yard in northern Wis. So far, over the past couple of years of increasing quakes and sinkholes, etc., all's been quiet in my neck of the woods. I'm still on solid ground. Except, it's been friggin cold!

Growing up in Oklahoma in the 60's and 70's I never heard anything about earthquakes in the region. I moved back a few yrs ago and was very surprised to hear about the frequency and magnitude that they now occur. From what I've read on the subject I feel it's a combination of fracking and the constant of a ever changing planet.

When you combine a massive array of man made fissures with the earths natural fractures and plates, you will eventually weaken the integrity of the substrate in that region. IMO nothing good is going to come from fracking, especially with the chemicals used in the process that are contaminating our groundwater wells. The long term repercussions will inevitably come at a hefty price if they continue fracking at the rate they are now. It's disturbing that we allow some corporations to molest the planet the way they do.

As of 2012, there are an estimated 11,000 private and commercial injection and disposal wells in Oklahoma. Each year those wells are injected with billions of gallons of oil and gas wastewater, according to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission -- 8.8 billion gallons of wastewater in the last two years. The Corporation Commission says they have not tallied the amount of water injected through private wells.[2]

Oklahoma has seen a sharp rise in the number of earthquakes in the last few years. In August 2011, the Oklahoma Geological Survey examined a cluster of earthquakes in Oklahoma and found "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."[8]

www.sourcewatch.org...

I think they know it's fracking and the more they frack it's compounding the quakes, the quakes make things more unstable and increase the quakes and intensity......if that makes any sense.

They've created a large snowball and it's running and increasing now on it's own power.