Fracking and Earthquakes

Though the links between earthquakes and human activity have long been discussed, evidence is gathering that strongly correlates the use of fracking to obtain fuels from the earth to these natural disasters. Mother Jones recently published Michael Behar’s account of an unlikely 5.7 quake in Oklahoma in 2011, and the manmade circumstances that appear to have led to it.

The piece is an interesting read, not just for the single case study, but for the very idea that we as people can indirectly cause a massive shift in our environment. In this case, it may not matter to what extent we are to blame for certain disasters, but we may want to take it as a caution to do whatever we can to avoid setting certain fates into motion.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013 at 9:00 am. It is filed under Nature, Sustainability. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.