Seismic events strike shale-rich Oklahoma for second day
Four tremors were reported as of 5:45 a.m. EDT by the USGS, the largest of which was a magnitude-3.3 event about three miles outside the town of Edmond. At least eight quakes were recorded Thursday, with Edmond experiencing a magnitude-4.2 event.
One of the U.S. states with a significant amount of shale oil and natural gas, a study from the USGS found the disposal of oil and gas-related wastewater is the "primary reason" for an increase in seismic activity in central states like Oklahoma. That process is different from hydraulic fracturing.
State orders related to an area of interest near Edmond translate to a volume reduction of wastewater injections for wells under state jurisdiction.
The order was mandatory and related in large part to fault data coming out of the Oklahoma Geological Survey and the USGS.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission and the Oklahoma Geological Survey sent investigators to the area after Thursday's outbreak. ■