USGS - 2011 Oklahoma Human-Induced Earthquake May Have Triggered Larger Quake

usgs.gov - March 6, 2014

PASADENA, Calif. — In a new study involving researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey, scientists observed that a human-induced magnitude 5.0 earthquake near Prague, Oklahoma in November 2011 may have triggered the larger M5.7 earthquake less than a day later. This research suggests that the M5.7 quake was the largest human-caused earthquake associated with wastewater injection.

"The observation that a human-induced earthquake can trigger a cascade of earthquakes, including a larger one, has important implications for reducing the seismic risk from wastewater injection," said USGS seismologist and coauthor of the study Elizabeth Cochran.

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CLICK HERE - STUDY - Observations of static Coulomb stress triggering of the November 2011 M5.7 Oklahoma earthquake sequence