Oil Industry likely Triggered Big 2011 Oklahoma Earthquake, Scientists Find

by John Upton / Grist

A 2011 earthquake in Oklahoma, the most powerful ever recorded in the state, can probably be blamed on the oil industry, according to new research by university and federal scientists.

The 5.7-magnitude quake and a string of smaller quakes that rocked central Oklahoma in November 2011 appear to have been induced by oil-drilling wastewater being pumped into the ground at high pressure. That’s the conclusion of a study published Tuesday in the journal Geology.

Turns out that pumping tainted water into the ground at high pressure creates problems. Go figure.