Man-made earthquakes: Fact or fiction?

Man-made earthquakes: Fact or fiction?

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

Earthquakes in Oklahoma used to be something of a rarity, but a few years ago, that began to change. Starting in 2009, the number of quakes began to increase. By 2014, the state was experiencing three times as many quakes as California.

What’s going on? This short video explains why this is happening across the U.S. and who scientists think the culprits are.

—-

Credits

Director and Producer Ariane Wu

Based on reporting by Michael Corey and Joe Wertz

Narrator Duncan Heath

Additional narration Queena Kim

Video Editor Ariane Wu

Production Assistants Anna Vignet Greta Mart

Animation by Naissance

Sound Mixer Christopher Galipo

Music “News Flash” “Walking Man” “Outlaw Trail” “Hobo in the Hood” “Desert Drop” “Vampire Strut” “Rockabilly Jo”

Courtesy of Audio Network

Executive Producer: Amanda Pike

Editorial Director: Robert Salladay

Images and footage from U.S. Energy Information Administration Whitehouse.gov Oklahoma Geological Survey Oklahoma Corporation Commission “Superman: Electric Earthquake” (1942) The FracTracker Alliance California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources Northern California Earthquake Data Center and UC Berkeley Seismological Laboratory California Geological Survey United States Geological Survey