Sharp Rise In U.S. Earthquakes Directly Linked To Fracking Wastewater Reinjection [View all]

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Distant Quakes Trigger Tremors at U.S. Waste-Injection Sites

"Cumulative count of earthquakes with a magnitude ≥ 3.0 in the central and eastern United States, 1967–2012. The dashed line corresponds to the long-term rate of 21.2 earthquakes per year, with an increase in the rate of earthquake events starting around 2009." Via USGS

A surge in U.S. energy production in the last decade or so has sparked what appears to be a rise in small to mid-sized earthquakes in the United States. Large amounts of water are used both to crack open rocks to release natural gas through hydrofracking, and to coax oil and gas from underground wells using conventional techniques. After the gas and oil have been extracted, the brine and chemical-laced water must be disposed of, and is often pumped back underground elsewhere, sometimes causing earthquakes.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/07/14/2291931/shale-shocked-sharp-rise-us-earthquakes-linked-to-fracking-wastewater-reinjection/