While past studies have linked fracking to earthquakes, scientists now say the drilling method is also a source of even small seismic tremors.
With hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, drillers inject fluids underground to crack open hard rock and access oil and natural gas underneath. This process, and the underground disposal of the resulting wastewater, can add pressure to fault lines, triggering earthquakes. Past research linked the 2000s fracking boom to a record number of quakes in Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma, but scientists could not determine...Read more