FED STUDY: Man-made quakes aren't nearly as strong or as bad as they sound...
Man-made earthquakes, a side effect of some high-tech energy drilling, cause less shaking and in general are about 16 times weaker than natural earthquakes with the same magnitude, a new federal study found.
"The hazard of these earthquakes is lower than what you'd expect," Hough said. "It's not that there's no hazard, it's just that it's a little better than you might think."
These faults can be slipping with less pent-up energy than they would have if they slipped naturally years later.
Also, a recent year long study by the Dept. Of Energy states there is NO effect (including from chemicals used) on wells, aquifers, or the water table from fracking.