This morning, a moderate earthquake rattled northwestern Louisiana, abruptly waking people from their slumber. More than two dozen individuals reported feeling the tremors to USGS through their online reporting tool, “Did you feel it?” The earthquake occurred at 3:04 am near Mooringsport, Louisiana, at a depth of 5 km, and registered as a magnitude 3.1 event. Geologists believe that this earthquake, along with others in the area in recent days, may be a result of fracking or other oil and gas-related activities in the region.
Fracking-induced earthquakes have raised concerns in various regions, including Oklahoma and potentially Louisiana. According to a report by the US Geological Survey (USGS), seismic activity in Oklahoma saw a significant increase starting in 2009. In fact, the rate of magnitude 3 and larger earthquakes during this period exceeded that of California from 2014 to 2017. It is worth noting that while these earthquakes have been linked to oil and gas activities, only a few were specifically induced by fracking. The largest fracking-induced earthquake recorded in Oklahoma was a magnitude 3.6 in 2019. In comparison, the largest fracking-induced earthquake in the United States occurred in Texas in 2018, with a magnitude of 4.0. Interestingly, the majority of earthquakes in Oklahoma are actually caused by a separate industrial practice called “wastewater disposal.” This process involves injecting fluid waste from oil and gas production deep underground, well below groundwater or drinking water aquifers. It is important to highlight that over 90% of the injected wastewater in Oklahoma is a byproduct of the oil extraction process and not waste frack fluid.
In the past four days, this area has experienced a total of five earthquakes. It all started on the morning of the 19th when a magnitude 3.1 earthquake occurred. Just six hours later, a magnitude 2.6 event shook the ground. The following day, another magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck. And last night, a magnitude 2.4 event preceded the early morning earthquake we had today.
According to USGS, this region is not known for its seismic activity. However, the Fractracker Alliance reports that the area experiencing these earthquakes coincides with an area abundant in fracking and oil and gas production.