New scientific studies strengthen the case that the process used in hydraulic fracturing may lead to increased risks of destructive earthquakes. In areas that are historically seismically quiet in the mid-continental U.S., earthquake activity has increased almost ten-fold since 2001. These earthquakes are primarily associated with deep-injection wells that are used to dispose of contaminated water, including wastewater recovered from fracked wells. The new research also shows that large, distant earthquakes can cause earthquakes near deep wastewater injection wells.

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