McDonald, Ohio Earthquake: 4.0 Quake Felt Near Youngstown

McDONALD, Ohio (AP) — Officials say they believe the latest earthquake activity in northeast Ohio is related to the injection of wastewater into the ground near a fault line, creating enough pressure to cause seismic activity.

The wastewater comes from drilling operations that use the so-called fracking process to extract oil or gas from rock. But the Ohio Department of Natural Resources director said fracking is not causing the quakes. He said four injection wells within a five-mile radius of the already shuttered well in Youngstown will remain inactive while further scientific research is conducted.

The 4.0 magnitude quake Saturday in McDonald caused no serious injuries or property damage. The quake was the latest in a series to rattle the area. The Ohio Seismic Network said more small quakes are possible.

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Comments

[Jbsociety74]

03:56 PM on 01/02/2012

In Ohio, as elsewhere, it's the money that drives the fracking decisions. Science is viewed with suspicion. Our top pols Kasich and Mandel (current treasurer who will be running for Senate) are big recipients of gas cash. Haven't heard either of them call for end to Halliburton exemptions, or requiring use of tracers in frack chemise, or regs that make prosecuting violators and polluters likely. On the plus side, ODNR's decision to halt injection near the quake epicenter gives one hope.

[ibsteve2u]

03:30 AM on 01/02/2012

Last thing I'd want to feel if I made my living from Lake Erie is an earthquake; the whole thing is above sea level.

[intolleft]

08:29 AM on 01/02/2012

Nearly all inland bodies of water are above sea level. That's why they drain into the sea.

[Roadrun]

10:01 AM on 01/02/2012

Then imagine how unnerving it would be if you lived near Lake Titicaca 12,500 ft. above sea level, that's considerable over 2 miles high.

Most mountains have lakes too.

[dontgiveupamerica]

10:07 PM on 01/01/2012

Destroying mother Earth fracks and bounds at a time!

[Daniel Wilcox]

09:21 PM on 01/01/2012

Maybe they need to do more research before they do things like this. It's called common sense.

[JHKH]

03:34 PM on 01/01/2012

Not related to fracking? Yeah, right. I read an article recently ( http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208121016.htm ) that reported findings of a correlation between tropical cyclones and subsequent earthquakes. Injecting water into fault-riddled land sounds similar -- just smaller in scale.

[Walt41682]

07:56 PM on 01/01/2012

The gas industry has been fracking well for over 50 years, and just now they are causing earthquakes? Get real fracking didn't cause earthquakes in 1960 and it doesn't now.

[bcracer73]

09:07 PM on 01/01/2012

there also was no where near as many wells being drilled 50 years ago either.

[JHKH]

01:11 AM on 01/03/2012

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/02/ohio-earthquakes-caused-by-wastewater-well-drilling_n_1180094.html?ref=green

I think this supports my contention

[toxico]

02:34 PM on 01/01/2012

Funny, I live in Eastern PA and thought I felt some small tremors this morning lying in bed. Of course it might have been the Prosecco I drank last night........

[doxienan]

09:28 AM on 01/01/2012

Landowners are offered money to frack on their land. In hard economic times, it seems like a great deal. Until the ground shakes under them, and they can no longer drink the water. Then that dirty money seems more like a deal with the devil.

[Walt41682]

07:59 PM on 01/01/2012

Humm....I've lived around gas and oil drilling for 40 years and I've never heard of them offering money to frack wells, Could this be more misleading information?

[doxienan]

09:22 PM on 01/01/2012

Really? My friends owned a small farm in PA. They and all their neighbors were offered lucrative deals to have wells drilled on their land. My friends were not interested; most of the neighbors jumped at the chance to make some quick dough. My friends sold their farm and left the state. This is happening all over the country. I know a family in OH that was just offered a substantial contract to use their land for fracking. Money talks.

[dangerousdaneerfan]

03:54 AM on 01/02/2012

They are offering money to LEASE land in order to drill. Just because someone owns the property does not mean they own the mineral rights.

[REBEL LEADER]

04:45 AM on 01/01/2012

its just DC politicians tunneling in for the 2012 elections , their here we come rocking your house arrival.HA

[Rum1234]

11:49 PM on 12/31/2011

We never had earthquakes that often in the NE before Fracking. Don't let anyone kid you. That's what it was.

[southingtonian]

06:01 AM on 01/01/2012

11 in 6 months, all within 2 miles of the well. The deniers must think we're exceeding gullible.

[GeneralRemy]

11:26 PM on 12/31/2011

I bet if you took a poll in Ohio, that more than 90% don't even know what fracking is.

[mgibson17]

12:27 AM on 01/01/2012

Why of course I do. Why just yesterday I told my kids, "if you don't stop that fracking noise I'll bust a hole in that stereo system and toss it out in the backyard!" Now in this context they knew exactly what that word meant.

[GeneralRemy]

05:08 AM on 01/01/2012

Yeah, LOL that sounds like Ohio.

[dontgiveupamerica]

10:06 PM on 01/01/2012

bahahaha!

[HazelPethigFan]

12:42 AM on 01/01/2012

Do 'you' know what fracking is? Do you know the the correct name of fracking? When it was developed?

[Derrith Wieman]

01:09 AM on 01/01/2012

But only recently have they starting extensive fracking of horizontal drill bores. Virtually all the "safety data" collected in the past is from vertical drill bores, that went through a number of different formations rather than putting all the explosive activity and injected fluids into one formation.

[GeneralRemy]

05:06 AM on 01/01/2012

Actually yes I do, and have friends involved in Ohio getting arrested for protesting this very thing. Why do you ask ? Ya think I'm full of it ? What do "YOU" think ? ( see ? how did that make you feel ? ) ( Not good, was it ? )