This map shows U.S. earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 and higher since 2000. Until 2009, earthquakes that people could feel were rare in Oklahoma. But by 2014, Oklahoma had more than three times as many earthquakes as California.
We also used sound to illustrate the craziness of Oklahoma’s rising rate of earthquakes in the past 10 years.
In this episode of Reveal, I teamed up with Joe Wertz of StateImpact Oklahoma. We traveled around the state to talk to the people who regularly deal with the tremors. We also spoke to experts to gain a better picture of Oklahoma’s man-made earthquakes.
A lot of the quakes are small, but some towns are seeing one almost every day, and seismologists warn that large and damaging earthquakes are becoming more likely. The government in the Sooner State has only recently acknowledged the scope of the oil and gas industry’s role in the problem.
Michael Corey can be reached at mcorey@revealnews.org. Follow him on Twitter: @mikejcorey.