Tag Archives: USGS

Speculation: Virginia earthquake caused by fracking

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) officially addressed the issue of human activity may be causing some of the earthquakes around the globe. Incidentally, the earthquakes are not due to the use of dynamites or even a nuclear bomb, it is due to fracking. Per Wikipedia, fracking is:


The USGS included the following statement on their website:


This report establishes the fact that humans may have played a role in the 5.9 magnitude earthquake in the last week (August 23, 2011).   There are multiple reports and news articles on the use of fracking and its link to earthquake. As New York Times reported in February 2011 that the town of GUY (an hour from Arksansas) has seen increase in earthquakes since the arrival of the gas companies, and the start of fracking.

“Mr. DeTurck and many others described a boom followed by a quick, alarming shift, a sensation one man compared to watching the camera dive off a cliff in an Imax movie. Some say they have felt dozens, others only four or five, and still others say they have only heard them.

They do, however, have similar suspicions about the cause.


Local landowners signed leases and royalty agreements with the companies on the promise of a few hundred dollars or more a month. Drilling sites started showing up in the fields, and the trucks began rumbling through day and night. Residents began to wonder whether all of this was such a good idea.


This topic needs more research. However we must ask ourselves if we are on the right trajectory.




A Dot on the Map, Until the Earth Started Shaking – NYT