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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.
Earthquakes are measured using seismometers. Earthquakes often occur in volcanic regions due to the flow of magma in volcanoes and are an early warning of volcanic eruptions. Geologists rate earthquakes based on their magnitude, which is the amount of energy released during the quake.