CMA Foundation is a 501(C)3 organization and a subsidiary of the California Medical Association. Â©
The study, published Tuesday in Seismological Research Letters, reports that fracking waste injection wells are now the leading cause of earthquakes in Texas. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves thrusting chemicals and water against shale rock to break it up and release oil or gas. The process produces large amounts of waste fluid, or brine, that is either recycled or disposed of in injection wells.
What causes earthquakes? The shaking motion of an earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy. Earthquakes are caused when stress, building up within rocks of the earth's crust, is released in a sudden jolt. Rocks crack and slip past each other causing the ground to vibrate. Cracks along which rocks slip are called faults.