Earthquakes are more likely to strike here than anywhere else... thanks to fracking

You probably wouldn't have predicted the one place on earth that experiences more earthquakes than any other is Oklahoma.

But it's true.

A spokesperson for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (the regulatory body tasked with ensuring the safety of oil and gas exploration in the state) has announced that Oklahoma is currently the number one spot for earthquakes.

We have had 15 [earthquakes] in Medford since 5 o'clock Saturday morning.

The Enid News quotes spokesman Matt Skinner as saying: "We've got an earthquake issue."

Before 2008, Oklahoma experienced an average of one to two earthquakes of 3.0 magnitude or higher per year. In 2014, the state was rattled by 585. And in 2015 the number rose to 680.

And who can locals thank for the sharp increase in quakes? Fracking, of course.

Oklahoma's drilling renaissance began around 2008, when global oil prices surged into the triple digits.

In April this year The Oklahoma Geological Survey launched a website, called Earthquakes in Oklahoma, clarifying that oil and gas activity is "very likely" causing the quakes.

H/T NY Mag

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