All Things Considered, I Should Have Studied...

[The Mad Monk]

depends on what they mean by introducing a lubricant into the ground, the increased pressure (thats what fracking does, true?) combined with the easier release of friction thanks to the added slippery stuff might increase activity while reducing the intensity of the individual quakes over all.

In the case of the dams, the lubricant was water. The hydrostatic head produced by the flooding behind the dam (any dam) can force water into old, deactivated faults; this introduction both lubricates the sides of old faults, and can push them ever so slighty apart, which can allow old stress to overcome the resistance of the previously "locked" fault.

This was determined to be the cause of numerous small tramors that occured in previously dead areas where a moderately large dam had been built.

[Berzerker]

that makes sense, now I'd like to see if they got a big reservoir near the epicenter. Actually those Ark quakes could be aftershocks from the New Madrid quakes. I didn't realize how close that fault is to upper Arkansas.

[Berzerker]

hey good call Monk, the epicenter was 4 miles east of Sparks Oklahoma

under a big ass reservoir!

[loinburger]

I should have studied computer science, which I did. My mistake was double-majoring in physics freshman year - wasted about four courses because of that.