Oklahoma Has 2000% Increase In Earthquakes....In ONE Year

Now for those who have not read my recent Rant about my first Earthquake Experience, (Warning Graphic Content, Explicit Language) I want to note it was the scariest thing to happen to me in my adult life. Then I decided to brush up on some history regarding Oklahoma and Earthquakes, and what I learned is even scarier than the Earthquake experience.

Apparently, Oklahoma has either an average of 50 Earthquakes a year. OR depending on the source about 22 total in the last 120 years LEADING up to 2009. By the data I could find from reliable sources like the USGS or Oklahoma Geological Survey I'm inclined to believe the first is correct with an average of 50 a year. Then in 2009 and 2010 alone, we experienced a huge increase with the number of Earthquakes increasing to 1047 in 2010 alone.



USGS data map for last 7 days


Checking some of these Earthquakes out individually, I noticed that a lot of the last couple of days events all had locations that seemed close (looking at long & lat numbers)

So I did a little more checking and found out that apparently the a lot of the Earthquakes this year are centered directly by a new FRACKING (or Injection pump) site here in OK called Eola Field. Reportedly there are 51 Fracking sites in OK but I am still attempting to locate them.

When I googled Eola Field, I found this, OGS-Finding on link between Fracking & Earthquake

So being really uneducated in the expertise of Earthquakes, and my entire knowledge of Fracking coming from one documentary, I want to know what others think about the increase.

And more importantly put the increase in perspective. WHY WASN'T I WARNED ABOUT THE INCREASE???

If food related deaths increased by 2000%, there would be mass panic. (and alot of weight loss as we refused to eat)

Or what about car wrecks, if they increased 2000% no one would be able to drive anywhere...

Or weather related, what if 100 degree days increased by 2000%?? Yes, I know there is not that many days in a year BUT its the point that we would be doing something about it...

But all anyone in the field has to say about Earthquakes increasing in drastic numbers until today is

"this temporary increase is under investigation"

Ok Geo. Survey on the increase
And i had to search hard to find that statement. So any info or thoughts or theory's would be greatly appreciated.

2008 Earthquake Map

2010 Earthquake Map

Originally posted by MRSeuphoric1
I did a little more checking and found out that apparently nearly ALL Earthquakes in the last 48 hours are centered directly by a new FRACKING (or Injection pump) site here in OK called Eola Field.

Unfortunately that is incorrect. If you research carefully where the Eola Field in Garvin County is located, it is 100 miles southwest of where these quakes are happening. I spent a bit on that, cause it confused me too- I came across the same paper.

When old faults reawaken from near dormancy and become active, then yes massive percentage increases can happen. Until more study becomes conclusive, and fracking quakes are able to be discerned from faulting quakes, it's too hard to draw any conclusion yet, imo. But it's looking more like faulting and less like fracking from the things I've seen so far.

I'm glad someone made a post about this relation. I already feel I live ''to close for comfort'' the the new madrid, now I'm paranoid because I'm between new madrid and a fracking operation itching to doom us all.
well researched, S&F

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Well. I stand by my comment because I am 75-100 miles OUTSIDE of the actually earthquake areas and I had things fall over. And re-reading my post I didn't mean to imply all were related to Eola FIeld. So I have fixed it. BUT...with the report from this years earlier Earthquakes, and the 51 FRACKING sites that sprang up in Oklahoma sometime in the last couple of years, I stand by my point that I believe they are DIRECTLY related.

I also would like to note that I am 75-100 miles AWAY from the Earthquake Location that knocked items over in my china cabinet and items off my bed so....100 miles doesn't seem to matter match in the way of Earthquakes and Fault Lines. Or at least not the ones I refering to.

Whenever those stupid "lets frack, it's the answer to our energy needs" commercials (that I see frequently on stations like CNN), I literally curse at the TV and or walk out of the room.

As far as there being a correlation between fracking and this recent earthquake goes, well here are a few random thoughts:

A year is but a fleeting moment to Earth, and the data we have on earthquake history in the US is very limited, only going back to the 1800s, so when one occurs in an area not normally known for them, it surprises us. Take the August 24th quake in the Virginia area as an example.

I've done no research on fracking itself, so can't comment either way on it specifically. From what I've heard I'd say it doesn't seem like something that wouldn't be without some sort of risk...

Some might say earthquakes can't be created by man, that is true... But that doesn't mean man can't do things to set the stage for them to occur.

Good luck and hope the ground stays relatively motionless where you're at. By the way I hear Japan had an increase of over 9000% this year.

We live on an active planet, with active tectonic plates that are constantly shifting about. Every area of the planet is prone for seismic activity. I live fairly close to Oklahoma in the DFW area and there's a lot of drilling going on for Natural gas companies. I think the same is going on up there in OK, so I think these earthquakes could be attributed to that.

I don't think they will go over the 5.6 mark, but still though, that's a big quake

But this being ATS, it's not long before some people start saying that these earthquakes are due to asteroid YU55 2005 passing by.

I'm not sure how related this is to this discussion but I found something that lends a little creditability to the whole fracking leads to earthquakes.
fracking is inconclusive as a cause, but Guy AR makes a good argument that it is a likely reason they have so many swarms.Huffington post

Here's another thing on eola field being linked to other earthquakes in OK recently. Though you should probably note that the quakes linked to this specific fracking operation generally happen within 2.1 mi. of eola field. (the 5.6 that has everyone talking about may have happened for natural reasons, but it's still hard to not get suspicious about the increase in this state as a whole.) treehugger

Maybe the fracking isn't directly responsible for the 5.6, but maybe it did help conditions to make it possible.
^opinion^

Before you start making conclusions I think you should check out a couple of things first. For example, what limitations were there on collecting data on earthquakes in the past? What was the magnitude of quakes measured in the past compared to now on average? Could it be that the instruments are just more sensative thus registering very low magnitude earthquakes?


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by Sek82
Whenever those stupid "lets frack, it's the answer to our energy needs" commercials (that I see frequently on stations like CNN), I literally curse at the TV and or walk out of the room.

As far as there being a correlation between fracking and this recent earthquake goes, well here are a few random thoughts:

A year is but a fleeting moment to Earth, and the data we have on earthquake history in the US is very limited, only going back to the 1800s, so when one occurs in an area not normally known for them, it surprises us. Take the August 24th quake in the Virginia area as an example.

I've done no research on fracking itself, so can't comment either way on it specifically. From what I've heard I'd say it doesn't seem like something that wouldn't be without some sort of risk...

Some might say earthquakes can't be created by man, that is true... But that doesn't mean man can't do things to set the stage for them to occur.

Good luck and hope the ground stays relatively motionless where you're at. By the way I hear Japan had an increase of over 9000% this year.

This. All of which I would have said myself.

The whole lack of measurements from the 1800s and before is what scares me. Thankfully there are those in the field of geology and seismology who try their hardest to understand each major fault line. I've always suspected the whole process in North America to be complex. The only large EQ that happened here on the east coast of Canada was a 7.1 in 1929. Since then a few minor quakes, but nothing.

Hopefully it's the end of it in Oklahoma. If anymore larger quakes happen then maybe the location can give a bit more insight into the area and what's going on.