Oklahoma earthquakes blamed on oil and gas wastewater injection wells
A 4.2 magnitude earthquake centred north of Oklahoma City hit Friday morning, the latest in a series of quakes that’s prompted state regulators to call for more restrictions on oil and gas operators.
According the U.S. Geological Survey’s website, the quake happened at 5:39 a.m. in an area 3 miles northeast of Edmond and 16 miles north-northeast of Oklahoma City.
There were no immediate reports of injury or damage.
Oklahoma has become one of the most earthquake-prone areas in the world, with the number of quakes magnitude 3.0 or greater skyrocketing from a few dozen in 2012 to more than 800 in 2015.
Many of the earthquakes are occurring in swarms in areas where injection wells pump salty wastewater – a byproduct of oil and gas production – into the earth.