EARTHQUAKES!

[BroJones]

Major science journal acknowledges man-made earthquakes,..

Published July 03, 2014Associated PressFacebook8 Twitter0
WASHINGTON – A new study explains how just four wells forcing massive amounts of drilling wastewater into the ground are probably shaking up Oklahoma.

Those wells seem to have triggered more than 100 small-to-medium earthquakes in the past five years, according to a study published Thursday by the journal Science. Many of the quakes were much farther away from the wells than expected.

Combined, those wells daily pour more than 5 million gallons of water a mile or two underground into rock formations, the study found. That buildup of fluid creates more pressure that "has to go somewhere," said study lead author Cornell University seismologist Katie Keranen.

Researchers originally figured the water diffused through underground rocks slowly. But instead, it is moving faster and farther and triggers quake fault lines that already were likely ready to move, she said.

"You really don't need to raise the pressure a great deal," she added.

The study shows the likely way in which the pressure can trigger fault lines — which already existed yet were not too active — but researchers need more detail on the liquid injections themselves to absolutely prove the case, Keranen said.

The wastewater is leftover from unconventional wells that drill for oil and gas with help of high pressure liquids — nicknamed fracking — and from the removal of water from diluted oil. These new methods mean much more wastewater has to be discarded. While there are about 8,000 deep injection wells in the region, the amount of water injected at the four wells — named Chambers, Deep Throat, Flower Power and Sweetheart — has more than doubled since the drilling boom started about a decade ago.

From 1976 to 2007, Oklahoma each year averaged about one quake of magnitude 3 or more — strong enough to feel locally but too weak to cause damage. But from 2008 to 2013, the state averaged 44 earthquakes of that size every year. So far this year there have been another 233, Keranen said, getting her earthquake figures from the U.S. Geological Survey database.

The rattling has led some Oklahomans to push for restrictions on the use of injection wells.

While past research has shown more quakes in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas and correlated it statistically to injection wells, this study used computer simulations to identify the mechanism of how massive amounts of water travel as much as 20 miles from the well. The pressure then triggers existing small faults — or previously unknown ones. In the past, scientists thought wells could only jump-start quakes within 3 miles or so.

Austin Holland, a seismologist at the Oklahoma Geological Survey said Keranen's study confirms what he is seeing in the field and will help better understand what's happening in Oklahoma.

"It's a study that needed to be done," said U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Elizabeth Cochran. "That changes how we might look at the hazard for a particular well."

___

Online:

Journal: http://www.sciencemag.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[BroJones]

Today:

Quake strikes in southern Chiapas state, near Guatemala
Temblor happened at 6:23 a.m. local time

(CNN) -- A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck Monday morning in southern Mexico's Chiapas state near the border with Guatemala, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake happened at 6:23 a.m. (7:23 a.m. ET), about 1 mile from Puerto Madero, Mexico, which is situated on the country's Pacific coast.

Strong shaking was felt in southern Chiapas state and western Guatemala, according to the USGS. The epicenter was about 127 miles west of Guatemala's capital, Guatemala City.

Details about damage weren't immediately available.

The depth of the quake was 37 miles, the USGS said. The USGS initially said the magnitude was 7.1.

[samizdat]

Served my mission down there (Mexico Tuxtla Gutierrez Mission).

From what a friend from Tapachula (just a few kilometers from the epicenter) there is quite a bit of damage. Fortunately though he and his family are fine. Didn't feel it up here in Puebla state though.

[bobhenstra]

Served my mission down there (Mexico Tuxtla Gutierrez Mission).

From what a friend from Tapachula (just a few kilometers from the epicenter) there is quite a bit of damage. Fortunately though he and his family are fine. Didn't feel it up here in Puebla state though.

Tapachula, Tree of Life Stone! Wanted to get there from Central American Mission but was never able to make it! We even had a song made up about getting to see the stone, but alas, can't remember the words!

Happy your friends made it ok!

Bob

[Desert Roses]

Major science journal acknowledges man-made earthquakes,..

Published July 03, 2014Associated PressFacebook8 Twitter0
WASHINGTON – A new study explains how just four wells forcing massive amounts of drilling wastewater into the ground are probably shaking up Oklahoma.

Those wells seem to have triggered more than 100 small-to-medium earthquakes in the past five years, according to a study published Thursday by the journal Science. Many of the quakes were much farther away from the wells than expected.

Combined, those wells daily pour more than 5 million gallons of water a mile or two underground into rock formations, the study found. That buildup of fluid creates more pressure that "has to go somewhere," said study lead author Cornell University seismologist Katie Keranen.

Researchers originally figured the water diffused through underground rocks slowly. But instead, it is moving faster and farther and triggers quake fault lines that already were likely ready to move, she said.

"You really don't need to raise the pressure a great deal," she added.

The study shows the likely way in which the pressure can trigger fault lines — which already existed yet were not too active — but researchers need more detail on the liquid injections themselves to absolutely prove the case, Keranen said.

The wastewater is leftover from unconventional wells that drill for oil and gas with help of high pressure liquids — nicknamed fracking — and from the removal of water from diluted oil. These new methods mean much more wastewater has to be discarded. While there are about 8,000 deep injection wells in the region, the amount of water injected at the four wells — named Chambers, Deep Throat, Flower Power and Sweetheart — has more than doubled since the drilling boom started about a decade ago.

From 1976 to 2007, Oklahoma each year averaged about one quake of magnitude 3 or more — strong enough to feel locally but too weak to cause damage. But from 2008 to 2013, the state averaged 44 earthquakes of that size every year. So far this year there have been another 233, Keranen said, getting her earthquake figures from the U.S. Geological Survey database.

The rattling has led some Oklahomans to push for restrictions on the use of injection wells.

While past research has shown more quakes in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas and correlated it statistically to injection wells, this study used computer simulations to identify the mechanism of how massive amounts of water travel as much as 20 miles from the well. The pressure then triggers existing small faults — or previously unknown ones. In the past, scientists thought wells could only jump-start quakes within 3 miles or so.

Austin Holland, a seismologist at the Oklahoma Geological Survey said Keranen's study confirms what he is seeing in the field and will help better understand what's happening in Oklahoma.

"It's a study that needed to be done," said U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Elizabeth Cochran. "That changes how we might look at the hazard for a particular well."

___

Online:

Journal: http://www.sciencemag.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've often wondered how many of the great calamities of the last days would be triggered by man's own greed as much as the Lord's direct intervention. Perhaps His lack of intervention in our world's greedy stupidity is just as critical to those prophesied events as is anything else.

[BroJones]

Earthquake today near Fukushima - M=6.5

(CNN) -- A powerful earthquake struck early Saturday off the coast of northern Japan -- rattling nerves in a region rocked three years ago by a deadly tremor, tsunami and nuclear crisis, though thankfully the latest episode didn't nearly measure up.
The Japan Meteorological Agency at one point issued a tsunami warning, which it later amended to tsunami advisories for coastal regions in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. The latter is the site of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility that was the center of a weeks-long radioactive crisis.
But a large tsunami never materialized.
At 6:15 a.m. Saturday (5:15 p.m. ET Friday), the same agency noted that all tsunami advisories had been canceled.
Whereas before the JMA urged everyone to "get out of the water and leave the coast immediately," that last update was less alarming. "Pay attention when fishing, swimming or engaging in other activities," the agency noted, "as there may still be slight sea-level changes for the time being."
The Japan Meteorological Agency characterized the quake as a 6.8-magnitude. Yet the U.S. Geological Survey had it a little weaker, downgrading its earlier estimate in calling it a 6.5-magnitude tremor.
According to the USGS, the quake was centered off Honshu island some 129 kilometers (79 miles) east-southeast of Namie and 284 kilometers east-northeast of Tokyo. It was 11 kilometers, or 7 miles, deep.
There were no immediate reports of damage.
Any sizable tremor in or near Japan -- and any tsunami warning -- inevitably raises dark memories dating to March 11, 2011, when a 9.0-magnitude struck 231 miles northeast of Tokyo.
That quake, the fourth largest on record since 1900 and the largest ever to hit Japan, produced a tsunami with 30-foot waves
When all was over, the combination of the quake and, especially, the tsunami left some 16,000 people dead.
The event also set off a prolonged crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in the northern part of Honshu, including the spread of some radioactive material and very real fears of an even worse calamity as authorities tried to bring the dangerous situation under control.

[uglypitbull]

Wal Mart prepping for one in New Madrid area?

http://endoftheamericandream.com/archiv ... drid-fault" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[WarMonger]

Wal Mart prepping for one in New Madrid area?
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archiv ... drid-fault" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wilford Woodruff prophecy the continental US will be broken up like a potters vessel - and all the NDE !!
From the article "If an earthquake similar to the quakes of 1811 and 1812 were to happen today, it would destroy structures all the way up to the Great Lakes and all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico."

[uglypitbull]

yea....the accounting of the 1812 earthquake is ominous at best...

Accounts of the 1812 quake vary since there were no measuring instruments at the time, but most geologists say evidence shows it was at least a magnitude 8 earthquake, and possibly a 9 or higher. The shaking was so intense that church bells started ringing as far away as Boston and New York. Chimneys toppled from the Deep South to Canada, and President James Madison was awoken by the violent shaking as he slept in the White House. Eyewitnesses said it even caused the Mississippi River to flow backwards for a time.

[BroJones]

In this thread, we have discussed other natural disasters also (besides EQ's).

Drought (reminds me of Yohani Wolfgram's prophecy):

Fourteen YEAR drought leaves Lake Mead at all-time low: Eerie pictures of the abandoned marinas and tourist attractions left high and dry

Drought will deplete the vast Lake Mead this week to levels not seen since Hoover Dam was completed and the reservoir on the Colorado River was filled in the 1930s
The low water levels is the result of a 14-year drought in the Southwest
Experts say the water levels will be enough to supply water to places like Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles for at least one more year

By Daily Mail Reporter and Ap

Published: 19:53 EST, 14 July 2014 | Updated: 14:59 EST, 15 July 2014

1,184 shares

97

View comments

Drought in the southwestern U.S. will deplete the vast Lake Mead this week to levels not seen since Hoover Dam was completed and the reservoir on the Colorado River was filled in the 1930s, federal water managers said Tuesday.

The projected lake level of about 1,080 feet above sea level will be below the level of about 1,082 feet recorded in November 2010 and the 1,083-foot mark measured in April 1956 during another sustained drought.

But U.S. Bureau of Reclamation regional chief Terry Fulp said water obligations will be met at least through next year without a key shortage declaration. The result will be full deliveries to cities, states, farms and Indian tribes in an area that's home to some 40 million people and the cities of Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Scroll down for video
Drought: Water levels at lake Mead in Nevada have reached an all-time low after a 14-year drought
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Drought: Water levels at lake Mead in Nevada have reached an all-time low after a 14-year drought

Echo Bay: Lake Mead's Echo Bay Marina lies abandoned in mud above the water line
+13

Echo Bay: Lake Mead's Echo Bay Marina lies abandoned in mud above the water line

Abandoned: Shrubs grow around a boat near Boulder Beach in an area that used to be completely submerged under water
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Abandoned: Shrubs grow around a boat near Boulder Beach in an area that used to be completely submerged under water

Low: Signs warn boaters of the low water levels at the Echo Bay launch ramp
+13

Low: Signs warn boaters of the low water levels at the Echo Bay launch ramp

'We continue to closely monitor the projections of declining lake levels and are working with stakeholders throughout the Lower Basin to keep as much water in Lake Mead as we can through various storage and conservation efforts,' Fulp said in a statement.

The lake on Tuesday was just under 1,082 feet above sea level, and the reservoir was about 39 percent full, said Rose Davis, a bureau spokeswoman in Boulder City, Nevada.

The dropping level since the reservoir was last full in 1998, at just under 1,296 feet above sea level, has left as much as 130 feet of distinctive white mineral 'bathtub ring' on hard rock surfaces surrounding the lake.

Davis said the bureau expects a slight increase in water level to about 1,083 feet by Jan. 1, 2015.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area, 30 miles east of Las Vegas, is among the federal government's top tourist attractions. It drew some 6.3 million visitors in 2013, about the same number as the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Bridge to nowhere: This bridge used to lead over water that has since dried up
+13

Bridge to nowhere: This bridge used to lead over water that has since dried up

Boat launch: This used to be the boat launch at the Las Vegas Bay Marina until a lengthy drought lowered lake levels
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Boat launch: This used to be the boat launch at the Las Vegas Bay Marina until a lengthy drought lowered lake levels

Marina: The Echo Bay Marina closed last year after no business wanted to operate it
+13

Marina: The Echo Bay Marina closed last year after no business wanted to operate it

Tires: Tires once used as a breakwater sit at the abandoned Echo Bay Marina
+13

Tires: Tires once used as a breakwater sit at the abandoned Echo Bay Marina

Boaters and swimmers have largely ignored the dropping water levels in a place where splashing in cold fresh water on 100-plus-degree summer days is a treat. But they've also dealt with marina closures in recent years. Visitors who used to feed scraps to carp from restaurant deck tables may now need to trek hundreds of yards with sandwiches and beach blankets to enjoy a waterside lunch.

'We projected this was coming,' Davis said. 'We are basically where we expected to be, given the dry winters in 2012 and 2013.'

Lake Mead today stores about 10.2 million acre-feet of water and is managed in conjunction with Lake Powell, the reservoir farther up the Colorado River near the Utah-Arizona state line.

Davis said Lake Powell was at 52 percent capacity, holding about 12.7 million acre-feet of water.

Water officials say an acre-foot is about enough water to supply an average Nevada household for a year.

Fulp compares controlled management of the two largest reservoirs on the Colorado River to pouring tea from one cup to another.

California farmers could run out of water in 12 months
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Dried out: This 'No Boats' sign used to be completely submerged until a lengthy drought dried Lake Mead
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Dried out: This 'No Boats' sign used to be completely submerged until a lengthy drought dried Lake Mead

Restrooms: This pair of restrooms sit on pontoons on the dried lake bed at Boulder Harbor
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Restrooms: This pair of restrooms sit on pontoons on the dried lake bed at Boulder Harbor

'Bathtub ring': The white line on the rock shows where the water level used to be
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'Bathtub ring': The white line on the rock shows where the water level used to be

Deserted: Empty boat slips protrude from the dock at the abandoned Echo Bay Marina
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Deserted: Empty boat slips protrude from the dock at the abandoned Echo Bay Marina

Warning: A buoy warning 'no boats; lies in cracked mud in a dried up Lake Mead
+13

Warning: A buoy warning 'no boats; lies in cracked mud in a dried up Lake Mead

Seven southwestern U.S. states reap the result under a 1928 allocation agreement that also provides shares of Colorado River water to Native American tribes and Mexico.

Las Vegas, with more than 2 million residents and about 40 million tourists a year, is almost completely dependent on Lake Mead for drinking water.

Federal and state water officials have negotiated plans for a shortage declaration triggering delivery cuts to Nevada and Arizona if annual projections for the Lake Mead water level drop below a 1,075 foot elevation. That projection is based on data being compiled by the Bureau of Reclamation.

Davis said the 1,075-foot trigger point is not expected this year or next. But last year, after back-to-back driest years in a century, federal water managers gave Arizona and Nevada a 50-50 chance of having water deliveries cut in 2016.

California, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming wouldn't see direct cuts in their share of river water, but officials have acknowledged there would be ripple effects.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z38QoC7Eql" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[BroJones]

Big one in China:

China earthquake: 12,000 homes collapse, hundreds dead (+video)

China earthquake: Nearly 400 people died when a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck China's Yunnan province Sunday. Rescue efforts are underway amid aftershocks.
By Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press AUGUST 4, 2014

Death Toll From Quake In South China Rises To 398
Rescuers dug through shattered homes Monday looking for survivors of a strong earthquake in southern China as the death toll rose to at least 398 people, with more than 1,800 injured....


KUNMING, CHINA — Rescuers dug through shattered homes Monday looking for survivors of a strong earthquake in southern China's Yunnan province as the death toll rose to at least 398 people, with more than 1,800 injured.

About 12,000 homes collapsed when the quake struck Sunday afternoon in impoverished Ludian county, around 370 kilometers (230 miles) northeast of Yunnan's capital, Kunming, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Ma Yaoqi, an 18-year-old volunteer in the quake zone, said by phone that at least half of the buildings had collapsed on the road from the city center of Zhaotong to the hardest hit town of Longtou. The rest of the buildings were damaged, she said.

Recommended: How much do you know about China? Take our quiz.
"I saw dead bodies being wrapped in quilts and carried away," said Ma, who had arrived with 20 other volunteers Monday. "Some were wrapped with small quilts. Those must be kids."


TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE How much do you know about China? Take our quiz.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY Photos of the day 08/04
Overhead footage of the quake zone shot by state broadcaster CCTV showed older houses flattened but newer multistory buildings still standing.

The magnitude-6.1 quake struck at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. China's earthquake monitoring agency put the magnitude at 6.5.

Rain and thunderstorms were forecast for the area Monday afternoon, complicating efforts to bring tents, water, food and other relief supplies to survivors. Roads had caved in, and rescuers were forced to travel on foot.

Repeated aftershocks also were making the rescue work dangerous. The USGS showed four aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 and higher hitting after the initial quake.

The Yunnan Civil Affairs Bureau said on its website that 398 people were killed and 1,801 injured. Another 29,400 people were evacuated, CCTV said. The death toll is expected to rise after rescuers reach remote communities to assess casualties.

Many of the homes that collapsed in Ludian, which has a population of about 429,000, were old and made of brick, Xinhua said, adding that electricity and telecommunications were cut off in the county.

The mountainous region where the quake occurred is largely agricultural, with farming and mining the top industries, and is prone to earthquakes.

Relief efforts are underway, with more than 2,500 troops dispatched to the disaster region, Xinhua said. The Red Cross Society of China allocated quilts, jackets and tents for those made homeless by the quake, while Red Cross branches in Hong Kong, Macau and neighboring Sichuan province also sent relief supplies.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang reached the worst-hit area Monday afternoon to oversee quake relief, Xinhua said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered "his condolences to the Chinese Government and the families of those killed," according to a statement from his office. The statement said the U.N. was ready to "lend its assistance to efforts to respond to humanitarian needs" and "to mobilize any international support needed."

The White House also offered its condolences.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those that lost their lives," said National Security Council deputy spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan. "The United States stands ready to assist."

CCTV said the quake was the strongest to hit Yunnan in 14 years.

In 1970, a magnitude-7.7 earthquake in Yunnan killed at least 15,000 people, and a magnitude-7.1 quake in the province killed more than 1,400 in 1974. In September 2012, 81 people died and 821 were injured in a series of quakes in the Yunnan region.

[bobhenstra]

How is it that the Chinese can't build a strong house? They're so good with with so much more!

[wildernessdaughter]

I apologize if someone has already posted something along these lines. Thought it was interesting. Here's the link: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/big-earthqu ... ot-linked/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"The average rate of big earthquakes -- those larger than magnitude 7 -- has been 10 per year since 1979, the study reports. That rate rose to 12.5 per year starting in 1992, and then jumped to 16.7 per year starting in 2010 -- a 65 percent increase compared to the rate since 1979. This increase accelerated in the first three months of 2014 to more than double the average since 1979, the researchers report."

[BroJones]

Earthquakes in Hawaii also.

A flash flood warning has been issued for the Big Island until 8:30 a.m. on Friday. Emergency managers reported heavy rainfall over the Ka'u district in Pahala and Hawaiian Ocean View Estates. A rain gauge in Pahala indicated rain rates at nearly 4-inches-per-hour. Radar showed moderate to heavy rainfall over the southeast half of the Big Island should continue for several more hours.

A tropical storm warning is now in effect for the Big Island. The warning also extends to Maui county, Oahu and Kauai County.

A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical storm force winds.

At 1 a.m. Friday, Iselle was about 45 miles south of Hilo. It is moving west near 7 mph. Forecasters say this general motion is expected to continue through Saturday with some increase in forward speed.

Click here for the latest track for Iselle.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased near 60 mph with higher gusts. Weakening is in the forecast in the next 48 hours. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 175 miles.

WIND

Tropical storm conditions are occurring on the Big Island and Maui County and will continue through the night. Tropical storm conditions are expected over Oahu and Kauai County on Friday.

RAINFALL

Iselle is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 5 to 8 inches, with isolated maximum amounts to 12 inches along the track of Iselle. These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and rock and mud slides.

SURF

Swells generated by Iselle are producing very large and damaging surf mainly along east and south facing shores of the Big Island. This damaging surf will diminish later Friday, according to forecasters.

HURRICANE JULIO

Right behind Iselle is Hurricane Julio. It is about 970 miles east of Hilo. It is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph. A general westward to west-northwestward motion is expected through Saturday.

Click here for the latest track of Julio.

Maximum sustained winds are near 120 mph with higher gusts. Julio is a category three hurricane. Gradual weakening is expected through Saturday.

Click here to see a satellite picture of Julio.

Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 125 miles from the center.

Stay with KITV4 News for the latest on both storms in the Pacific.

Are you ready for the storms? Let us know in our online poll.

Download our Hurricane Tracker for iPhone or Android.



Read more: http://www.kitv.com/weather/hurricanes/ ... z39ojxI3pM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[BroJones]

Quoted from The Atlantic:

Man-Made Earthquakes Are Changing the Seismic Landscape
Scientists say fracking is part of why Oklahoma now rivals California in quake activity.
ADRIENNE LAFRANCEAUG 8 2014, 11:02 AM ET

Seismicity in the contiguous United States between 2009 and 2012. Black dots denote earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 3.0. (U.S. Geological Survey)
This isn't just the stuff of comic-book villains: Real humans in the real world—actually, in Oklahoma, of all places—can cause earthquakes.

Scientists have known about man-made earthquakes for decades. They've blame some reservoirs for seismic activity because reservoir water that trickles underground ends up lubricating faults that then slip—or, quake—as a result.

"People thought oh this might be a swarm of earthquakes... But this has just gone on and on."
These days, there appears to be a more common and growing culprit: fracking. (Scientists believe it's the deep disposal of wastewater from fracking that incites seismic events.) Some states where fracking is on the rise are in turn experiencing more and more earthquakes—which is why earthquake scientists believe the big one could strike Oklahoma any moment. "People are starting to compare Oklahoma to California in terms of the rate of magnitude-threes and larger," said Robert Williams, a geophysicist for the U.S. Geological Survey.

Earlier this summer, the U.S. Geological Survey issued a warning saying it's crucial for Oklahomans to prepare for the "increased hazard." That prediction is based on a flurry of earthquakes that registered at least 3.0 or higher in magnitude, an uptick that scientists agree is linked to fracking in the state. More on that in a minute. First, let's look at how seismic activity has changed in Oklahoma.

* * *

The rate of 3.0-or-larger earthquakes in Oklahoma jumped by about 50 percent since last year alone—and the increase is even more dramatic if you look at Oklahoma's longterm quake history. The earliest year for which there are reliable USGS records is 1978, so we'll start there.

For 30 years—from 1978 until 2008—Oklahoma experienced an average of two earthquakes per year that measured 3.0 of bigger. But then something crazy happened. In 2009, the number of earthquakes began to shoot up. And it kept climbing. "People thought oh this might be a swarm of earthquakes, where you get a series of small quakes that build up to a bigger one then dies off," Williams said. "But this has just gone on and on. It's over a much broader area. We're not even calling it a swarm anymore. It's surprising."

"There could be drilling activity on your land even if you don't authorize it..."
Last year there were 109 earthquakes of 3.0 or bigger in Oklahoma—a record high. But by one-third of the way through this year, Oklahoma had already logged 145 earthquakes of that magnitude. Looking at these numbers, scientists believe there's a significant chance the state could see a damaging magnitude 5.5 (or bigger) quake next. Last month, Oklahoma made headlines when it experienced seven earthquakes—most strong enough to knock dishes off shelves, the largest measuring at a magnitude of 4.3—over the course of a single weekend. Officials are now developing an emergency earthquake plan for the state, where there has been a 500 percent increase in the purchase of earthquake insurance in three years, according to local TV station KFOR.

"It's an unprecedented situation in Oklahoma state history," Williams told me. "And it's kind of a seismological rule of thumb that when you have certain number of earthquakes in a region over time, there's a relationship between the rates of smaller earthquakes and the rates of larger ones. We're applying that rule to Oklahoma."

Scientists say the connection between increased seismic activity and fracking is clear, but there's still a lot we don't understand. And that's because there's a lot about fracking that we don't actually know. We don't know the pressure at which wastewater is injected, and we don't know how deep into the ground wastewater is injected—it could be hundreds of feet, or it could be miles. "The depth of injection matters," Williams said. "If it's really deep, the pore pressure changes affect where faults have more energy to release... But the operators of these wells aren't required to produce this information in detail."

There are also questions about which chemicals are used in the fracking process. Companies might use different materials in the fluids that help break up rock and extract petroleum. And without fully understand why fracking causes earthquakes when it does, we also can't figure out why it doesn't always cause them. Correlation, of course, isn't causation. Why does fracking seem to be linked to an uptick in earthquakes in some places but not in others?

"We don't know exactly why," Williams said. (Some of the other states where seismic activity is on the rise: Arkansas, Texas, and to a lesser extent, Ohio and Colorado.) "There are a lot of questions yet to be answered. But a key point: There are thousands of wastewater wells across Oklahoma and we're seeing this concentration [of earthquakes] in central Oklahoma."

"Unfortunately, building to withstand a tornado doesn't mean it is quake proof."
Part of the reason it's so hard to understand the connection between fracking and earthquakes is because there's no federal rule about what energy companies have to disclose about their fracking activities. "The states are the regulatory level for the oil and gas industry," said Matthew Kelso, the manager of data and technology for the site FracTracker.org. "Because of that, they each set up their own laws and their own requirements for what kind of data is collected."

So it's "extremely difficult" to compare fracking operations nationwide. That hasn't stopped Kelso and his colleagues from trying. They went to every state government in the country to produce an incredibly thorough look at fracking facilities nationwide. They don't have all the information they want—"violation data is very hard to come by," for instance—but it's a start. Kelso hopes the maps will inspire people to start asking questions about fracking that's happening around them.

"One of the big things to think about is, if you own land, do you also own mineral rights?" Kelso said. "That's a clear consideration because there could be drilling activity on your land even if you don't authorize it if the mineral rights are owned by somebody else. If you depend on well water, there's a pretty good chance you should be aware of activity happening in your area... Other than that, things like road impacts, traffic jams, your roads being crushed by heavy trucks. There are social impacts as well. As boom towns develop around fracking, rents go up."

For people on the ground in Oklahoma, the priority has been to prepare for more earthquakes—including the big one that seems destined to come. From an earthquake-tracking Facebook group called Stop Fracking Oklahoma:

my fear is people are far from being prepared for a 5.0+ quake in Oklahoma. Do you know how to shut off your gas meter? Have you 5 days of drinking water stored? Should you stay in your brick house during a quake, or any house in Oklahoma (I can't believe any are built well enough to stand up to a strong quake)? Unfortunately, building to withstand a tornado doesn't mean it is quake proof.

[farfromhome]

Guess which state supercedes Calif as EQ leader?

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video ... a.cnn.html

[oxbloodangel]

http://endoftheamericandream.com/archiv ... rth-mexico

Just like a woman in travail, with my long labors, never knowing when but feeling the pains come faster and stronger until at last you are delivered.

[brianne541]

http://endoftheamericandream.com/archiv ... rth-mexico

Just like a woman in travail, with my long labors, never knowing when but feeling the pains come faster and stronger until at last you are delivered.

I read about that huge crack last night… This poor earth has seen so much, and been through so much. She is almost at her breaking point. She is a living thing just like us, going through the same trial of mortality. She was born, witnessed and experienced the fall of Adam, she was baptized during the flood of Noah, witnessed and shook when our Savior Jesus Christ was crucified, and she has been faithful and true through everything else she has witnessed happen upon her face. Our poor mother earth…

[WarMonger]

Well she is going to throw a few temper tantrums - and they are starting. EQ ramping up. Had two recently in South Africa and they are on a stable granitic craton that are not supposed to have movement.

I see Chile had a 6.4 on land and California had 5.96 as well today.
http://earthquakestoday.info/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[LDSguy]

Big earthquake just rocked San Francisco. Strongest in 25 years. Google it, or view links on Drudge Report.

[gkearney]

Big earthquake just rocked San Francisco. Strongest in 25 years. Google it, or view links on Drudge Report.

I am currently in South Bay about 90 km south. Did not feel a thing. Must have been very shallow.

[marc]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/08/24/us ... alifornia/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://abcnews.go.com/US/northern-calif ... d=25101008" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/24/us/califo ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[LDSguy]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/large-earth ... -bay-area/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[kathyn]

My daughter lives on the peninsula just below San Francisco and she felt it. She said it was quite long, yet the funny thing is, she said it was "silent". Usually you hear a bump and then a rumble. She heard nothing, just felt the quake quite strongly. We're just hoping it wasn't a "foreshock" of something bigger.

[BroJones]

And in the new Ensign, PM is reminding all to get food supply (and fuel and clothing) and to get out of debt... Perhaps the saints will listen this time, after a little shaking up??