Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

How large are the earthquakes induced by fluid injection?

The largest earthquake induced by fluid injection that has been documented in the scientific literature was a magnitude 5.8 earthquake on September 23, 2016 in central Oklahoma.

Four magnitude 5+ earthquakes have occurred in Oklahoma, three of which occurred in 2016. In 2011, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake was induced by fluid injection in the Raton Basin, Colorado. Earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.5 and 5.0 have also been induced by fluid injection in Arkansas and Kansas.

Learn more: