Experts: Okla. quakes too powerful to be man-made
November 7, 2011 By SETH BORENSTEIN and JONATHAN FAHEY , Associated Press
Joe Reneau displays the damage his home received in two earthquakes in less than 24 hours in Sparks, Okla., Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011. Reneau said the trash can at center had been filled with items damaged in an early morning quake on Saturday. The items on the floor and countertops spilled out of the cabinets during a quake on Saturday night. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
(AP) -- Experts say the flurry of earthquakes in Oklahoma can't be blamed on man's thirst for oil and gas.
The weekend quakes were far stronger than the weak tremors caused by drilling - especially the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking. The shaking caused by drilling is usually so weak that it can't be felt.
Experts say the Oklahoma quakes released nearly 16,000 times more energy than the strongest attributed to hydraulic fracturing.
Federal, state and academic experts say preliminary readings show that the Oklahoma quakes are natural, following along the lines of a long-known fault.
The drilling question has been raised because of recent small quakes in Oklahoma and neighboring oil and gas states.
©2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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