Posted in Oklahoma Nature December 06, 2016 by

Most People Don’t Know Oklahoma Actually Has More Earthquakes Than California And Here’s Why

Before moving to Oklahoma, I lived in California and grew up with a vast amount of earthquakes. I can remember back thinking how good it was going to feel living outside of the “earthquake capital of the world.” Little did I know, I was moving to a state that would become the most seismically active place on earth. Oklahomans have become fully aware in recent years of the powerful quakes and find their frequency alarming.

Here’s a short explanation and video why Oklahoma has more earthquakes than California or anywhere in the world.

Between 1980 and 2008 Oklahoma averaged less than two earthquakes per YEAR.
Bloomberg/Youtube
Can you guess how many earthquakes there were in Oklahoma in 2015? A record breaking 857. The state also broke the record for 4.0 or greater quakes last year with a total of 30.
Bloomberg/Youtube
Thousands of fault lines have always existed below Oklahoma but have been pretty quiet...that is until recently.
Bloomberg/Youtube
It's not just the large increase in fracking that has caused the earthquakes, but the disposal of the waste water from fracking near those fault lines.
Bloomberg/Youtube
The massive amount of toxic waste water left over is pumped back underground and over time has lubricated the fault lines, causing them to slip and create the quakes.
Bloomberg/Youtube
In 2016, Oklahoma experienced two of its largest quakes in history - 5.6 and 5.0 - creating a large amount of damage to the state.
Richard Walker/Flickr

Watch the short video below to learn more about Oklahoma’s earthquakes:

Not only is Oklahoma now known for its earthquakes, it’s most famous for its tornadoes. The Sooner State holds the record for the largest tornado on record. You can see the footage of it here.