Can the Growing Risk of Human-Made Earthquakes Be Managed?

Nathan Collins shares news of a new report that finds smart management strategies could ease the risk of earthquakes caused by human activities.

First, however, the study suggest that hydraulic fracking has been taking an inordinate amount of blame for the earthquakes recently shaking places like Oklahoma and Texas.

According to Collins's explanation, "the land in states like Oklahoma is often dry enough that companies drilling for oil and gas don't even need to employ fracking techniques, says United States Geological Survey senior scientist and study co-author William Ellsworth. It's actually industrial wastewater injection, carbon sequestration and storage, and the replenishment of underground reservoirs—things we'd think of as good for the environment—that can cause earthquakes."

The report's suggestion for a management strategy: "simply moving injection sites away from population centers or critical infrastructure, where rare but large earthquakes are the biggest concern."

Hopefully, the owners of fracking operations in the suburban Front Range counties of Colorado, where 5,000 drilling permits have been issued in the last two years, will get the memo.