Could Fracking be to Blame for Quakes in Ohio?

Youngstown, Ohio: A place traditionally known for steel production, but not earthquakes. Right?

Since March 2011, 12 earthquakes have rattled the Youngstown area, the strongest of which hit 4.0 on the Richter Scale.

Though all the quakes have been of varying degrees, seismologists predict it may be due to hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a process in which oil and gas companies forcefully extract petroleum and natural gases by injecting pressurized fluid into rock layer.

Most of the 12 earthquakes have been too minor to feel, with a magnitude of 2.0-4.0.

The 4.0 magnitude December 31 earthquake, however, was felt throughout northeastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada.

RELATED: More about how wastewater may cause quakes

The U.S. Geological Survey's 'Did You Feel It' Web site received more than 4,700 felt reports.

It was recently published in Scientific American, the winner of the 2011 National Magazine Award for General Excellence, that the fracking itself is not the cause of the repeated quakes, but rather it's possible that the disposal of fracking wastewater into wells is the culprit.

Because of the close proximity of the quakes to a wastewater injection site, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources had mobile seismographs installed in the vicinity of the quakes.

The seismographs revealed, with 95 percent certainty, that the last two earthquakes were within 100 meters of each other.

Additionally, they both placed within 0.8 kilometers of the injection well and at roughly the same depth as the fault that caused the quakes.

Youngstown, Ohio, tends to be seismically inactive, but it's friction that keeps the faults from moving, AccuWeather Expert Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews said.

"By injecting fluid underground, existing faults may be unlocked."

Since fracking began, many have pushed to ban the practice because of its potentially serious environmental impacts, such as drinking water contamination. But, fracking continues to be defended by the industry.

To date, both France and Bulgaria have banned fracking, as well as some US cities.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/could-fracking-be-to-blame-for-1/60731