Seismic shift: Southeast Ohio sees earthquake numbers rise in 2025 | News, sports, jobs

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The number of earthquakes in Southeast Ohio has risen dramatically in the past year, according to a database maintained by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Since January 1, 2025, at least 173 earthquakes have been recorded in Washington, Athens, Guernsey, Belmont, Hocking, Meigs, Jackson, and Noble counties, with the largest number of these in Washington and Noble, 77 and 69, respectively.

Compared to the region, 31 cases were recorded in 2024 and 17 cases in 2023, according to the database.

Among the largest storms this year were a magnitude of 3.9 on February 3 in Jackson County and a magnitude of 3.4 on April 24 in Noble County, according to the database.

The relationship between earthquakes and injection wells, called induced earthquakes, has been studied in Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado where a connection between the two has been found, among those in a study in the journal Geology in Central Oklahoma.

“Yes, injection wells can cause earthquakes. That doesn't mean they always cause earthquakes,” said Tej Gautam, a professor in the Department of Petroleum Engineering and Geology at Marietta College.

He added that earthquakes can occur for normal geological reasons and tectonic movements.

Southeast Ohio does not lie above the main Appalachian fault line, Gautam said, however, there are a few local faults in Washington County such as the Burning Spring fault system.

“They are not seismically active faults. These faults are less likely to cause any earthquake of much higher magnitude,” Gautam said. “However, you cannot guarantee the location and size of an earthquake in advance.”

According to the USGS, fluids injected at depth are sometimes hydraulically connected to faults.

“When this happens, fluid pressures increase within the fault, neutralizing the frictional forces on the faults. This increases the likelihood of earthquakes occurring on them,” the Geological Survey said. “An analogy for this system is an air hockey table. When the air hockey table is parked, the puck doesn't move as easily, but when the table is up, the puck slides more easily. Raising the fluid pressure within the crack is similar to turning on an air hockey table.”

Not all sewage disposal wells cause earthquakes, the survey said. Of the more than 150,000 Class II injection wells in the United States, nearly 40,000 are waste fluid disposal wells for oil and gas operations, and only a small fraction of those wells have caused earthquakes large enough to cause concern, she added.

“It is possible that this is true in Ohio as well, but there is not enough research to prove it,” Gautam said. “The public should not be concerned about these small earthquakes, but should be aware of the fact that earthquakes can be caused by these activities.”

Carina Cheung, of the Department of Natural Resources, said earthquake monitoring capabilities have improved greatly over the past decade.

“Equipment has become more sensitive and network density has improved, allowing lower magnitude detection thresholds for events around ML 1.0 and sometimes lower,” she said.

As for the link between earthquakes and injection wells in the area, the administration cannot say with certainty how many earthquakes occurred naturally or were caused by injection wells, Cheung said.

“But ODNR believes it is likely that two injection wells in the area have caused some seismic activity this year,” she added. “These wells are currently under suspension by ODNR.”

Environmental scientists, who say the increase in earthquakes is caused by the amount of fracking waste entering an increasing number of injection wells, fear the impact on drinking water wells.

“The evidence of a link between brine injection and earthquakes in the region is compelling,” said George Banziger, a former Marietta College professor and environmental activist with Climate Action Mid-Ohio Valley. “Although it is only related, it at least needs further study and even a moratorium on additional injection wells in the province until causality can be determined.”

Washington County ranks first among Ohio's two counties — Portage County is the other — in terms of the volume of saltwater waste injected, Banziger said, nearly 6 million barrels in 2023. He said research shows earthquakes are unlikely when the liquid reaches 3.6 million barrels annually.

“Washington County has approximately 6 million barrels a year,” he said.

According to the Buckeye Environmental Network, at least 17 injection wells are operating in Washington County, the most of any county in Ohio. Roxanne Groff of the Environmental Network said the suspension of a horizontally drilled well in Noble County is linked to the earthquakes.

“There is, and should be, serious concern about the number of injection wells permitted in eastern and southeastern Ohio,” she said. “Wells are being held up due to the migration of salt water out of the injection zones due to the geological structure, the amount of waste and the enormous pressure of injection. The lack of oversight over the management of these wells is due to an uneducated legislature and its belief that the oil and gas industry is telling the truth.”

The fear is contamination of drinking water sources. Concerns have been raised by the Little Hocking Water and Sewerage Association and the Marietta City Council, which in October passed legislation dealing with injection wells after the state approved a permit for an injection well two miles from a municipal water well field.

The resolutions call on lawmakers to impose a three-year moratorium on injection wells for more time to study their impact, create an injection well task force in the council's sanitation and sanitation committee, and authorize the legal director to seek legal remedies at his discretion.

In July 2024, the Division of Natural Resources retained Patriot Engineering and Environment to study private water wells in the area of ​​four suspended Class II injection wells to verify that salt water was not migrating into the shallow aquifers that provide drinking water supplies to water wells located within a half-mile radius of the suspended injection wells and seven oil and gas wells. Based on the results, the department said it concluded that no water wells sampled were affected by the brine associated with the injection wells.

Water wells were sampled in Belpre and Decatur townships in Washington County and Rome and Troy townships in Athens County.

ODNR has long been a national leader when it comes to regulating underground injection wells and earthquakes for the oil and gas industry, said Rob Brundrit, president of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association. Brundritt said Ohio has strict rules and procedures to protect health and ensure safe drinking water.

“It is very important to note that Ohio has not had a single case of drinking water contamination due to Class II wells or potential earthquakes,” Brundrit said.

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