In the last few years, Oklahoma has become one of the most seismic places on the planet. Last year, there were almost 6,000 earthquakes, 900 of which were magnitude 3 or higher, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Scientists say the increase is due to hundreds of saltwater disposal wells around the state that pump brackish water that comes up naturally during drilling back underground.
The state’s quakes have become so frequent that the USGS released a new nationwide hazard map Monday which, for the first time, included manmade earthquakes and showed parts of Oklahoma to be as seismic as California.
See how oil drilling causes earthquakes in the video above, and read more about it here.
More Must-Read Stories From TIME
- Workers Are Furious. Their Unions Are Scrambling to Catch Up
- What the Facebook Whistleblower Did to the Company's Stock in 6 Weeks
- Photos from Migrants' Desperate Journeys to the U.S. Border
- Emily Ratajkowski: How I Learned to Let Go
- Afghanistan's Female Students Were Banned from Studying. Now Some Are Finding New Ways to Learn
- The 'Safe Supply' Movement Aims to Curb Drug Deaths Linked to the Opioid Crisis
- The 19 Most Underrated Movies on Netflix
- By Ending Legacy Admissions, Amherst Hopes to Change the Makeup of Its Student Body
Read More From TIME
