New Study Offers Hope to Reduce Oklahoma's Earthquakes
Oklahoma, once known for its calm, is now the most earthquake-prone region in the contiguous United States. A new study in Science offers hope for reducing these tremors. It pinpoints injection depth as a key factor and suggests targeted regulation could significantly decrease the risk of larger quakes.
The surge in Oklahoma's seismic activity, a roughly 900-fold increase since 2009, is largely linked to increased oil and gas activity, particularly wastewater disposal. A new paper in Science reveals that raising injection well depths further above the basement rocks in key areas could significantly reduce the annual energy released by earthquakes, making larger earthquakes less likely.
The study enables state regulators to explore more targeted and cost-effective approaches to mitigating this issue. Two key government agencies in Oklahoma that could influence this reduction are the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) and the Oklahoma Geological Survey. The OCC oversees oil and gas well permits, including wastewater disposal, while the Oklahoma Geological Survey monitors seismic activity. Both have the authority to enforce regulations on injection depth to mitigate induced seismicity linked to wastewater injection.
With the understanding that injection depth is a major determinant of earthquake risk, Oklahoma's regulators can now explore more targeted strategies to reduce the risks of induced earthquakes. This could significantly decrease the annual energy released by earthquakes, making larger earthquakes less likely in the most earthquake-prone region in the contiguous United States.
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