Sooner State Shakes – More than 300 Quakes in Oklahoma in 30 Days

There are more earthquakes in the Midwest than you maybe think. This is a great example. Did you know there were more than 300 earthquakes in Oklahoma alone over the past 30 days? It's true which means there's a whole lotta shaking going on in the Sooner state.

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I noticed the other day that there was a mini-swarm of earthquakes in Oklahoma on the USGS website, so I got curious. I wondered if I looked over the past 30 days how many earthquakes I would find. I was very surprised at the result.

According to the USGS, there have been 327 measurable earthquakes in Oklahoma over the past 30 days as of this writing.

Something else interesting I noticed on the USGS site is that almost a dozen were listed as quarry blasts. Here's another surprise. The USGS says it's NOT due to fracking by oil and gas companies.

So if it's not fracking, what's causing all these Oklahoma earthquakes?

Here's the exact wording from the USGS:

The majority of earthquakes in Oklahoma are caused by the industrial practice​ known as "wastewater disposal". Wastewater disposal is a ​separate ​process in which fluid waste from oil and gas production is injected deep underground far below ground water or drinking water aquifers.

I'm not doubting the USGS since everyone there is smarter than me (Editor's Note: Fact). My question is whether wastewater disposal can cause earthquakes over 3 in magnitude as there have been multiple over the last month that large in Oklahoma.

The USGS notes that the surge in Oklahoma earthquakes have increased over the last 14 years and since 2009 in particular. Their explanation of this surge in Sooner State shaking is an interesting read.