Did Oil Drillings Cause an Earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico?

When I heard about the earthquake ( 25°N, 85°W) that took place in the Gulf of Mexico, which may seems an odd place but earthquakes do occur all over the world, the first thing I thought was whether this was an induced shallow earthquake caused by the removal of oil since oil drilling and removal of oil is heavily done throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Technology has now given the oil industry the capability to drill over deeper waters and deeper into the earth's crust.

Since I do know about geology, hydrogeology, geophysics and earthquakes (MS Geology, Univ of Idaho). And I do know about the phenomenom of induced shallow earthquakes that have occured over on dry land deep below the surface. They are well documented. Even in Texas, a "non-earthquake" country, known for it's many oil rigs that dot the landscape. Much of the induced but unintentional earthquakes were caused either by the removal of liquid (e.g. oil, gas, or water) or the injection of fluids into the drilled hole. Even large reservoir lakes were known to induce earthquakes though very small.

The definition of a shallow earthquake is that the source of the earthquake or hypocenter takes place in the shallow crust of the earth. Usually anything under 70 km (43 miles) deep as the source of an earthquake took place is called a "shallow earthquake". Earthquakes originating deeper than 70 km to as far as 700 km (434 miles) are called "deep earthquakes". The mechanics are different between these to zones due to the temperature and pressure differences in the geologic formation of the crust to the Earth's upper mantle.

Let's take a look at the earthquake's location or epicenter that took place a few days ago out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. Check out this map of the earthquake's location.

Now, lets take a look well all those oil rigs and platforms are out in the Gulf of Mexico. Look for "Deepwater Millenium". It's the oil rig platform (ie ship) closest to Florida but actually it's about in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. Deepwater Millenium ship has the capacity to drill 30,000 feet into the earth or 5.6 miles (9.1 km) deep. That's in the realm of the upper crust area of the Earth. But Deepwater Millenium is not in that location anymore but the area is being drilled for oil, exploration or production. No doubt.

It could be a longshot, probably most unlikely, but this could turn out to be one of those rare induced earthquake caused by years of oil removal in the area. According to the USGS, the earthquake's hypocenter took place at 10 km deep. Well within the realm of deep water oil drilling where oil rig platforms have the capacity (now) to drill as deep as 9.1 km into the crust. Could there be some unknowns we are dealing with when it comes to deep water geology? Could the release of oil at such depths from the earth crusts could cause some crustal movements therby inducing an appreciable earthquake? Does an overlying layer of crushing water of 10,000 feet has to do with it?

Just as there are fault lines all over the United States. There are also fault lines that criss cross at the bottom of the ocean that are lesser known than on dry land. It's a matter of accessing fine geologic details 10,000 feet down into the waters of Gulf of Mexico. However, Foxnews reported the quake occurence as "unusual",

"This kind of occurrence is unusual in that spot, especially for an earthquake of this size," Blakeman said of Sunday's quake.

The temblor was unusual because it was not centered on a known fault line. The "midplate" earthquake, deep under the gulf, was probably the result of stresses generated by the interaction of tectonic plates in the earth's crust, the agency said.

Next, I'm sure environmental wackos will discover my blog on geology, oil and earthquake and make a run for it screaming chicken little to the oil industry.

It could just be a coincidence here folks. Calm down will you?

UPDATE: There was an earlier earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico in February of this year. But it was about a 100 miles further west from the recent quake we had. However, it does seem to fall on a line of one guy's theory or "Jack's Reed Theory" of a hidden tectonic plate beneath the Gulf of Mexico.

...there has to be a hidden tectonic plate segment in this spot and it is not only geologically active but is responsible for triggering the New Madrid Quakes.

Look at the map picture.




Hmm. Seems plausible. A hidden plate tectonic showing itself. The recent earthquake a few days ago would be exactly on that drawn yellow line 100 miles to the East Northeast.

UPDATE II: I am familiar with the New Madrid fault and it's history but for those who are not should take the opportunity to learn the history.

In the winter of 1811-12, the central Mississippi Valley was struck by three of the most powerful earthquakes in U.S. history. Even today, this region has more earthquakes than any other part of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. Government agencies, universities, and private organizations are working to increase awareness of the earthquake threat and to reduce loss of life and property in future shocks.

The 400 terrified residents in the town of New Madrid (Missouri) were abruptly awakened by violent shaking and a tremendous roar. It was December 16, 1811, and a powerful earthquake had just struck. This was the first of three magnitude-8 earthquakes and thousands of aftershocks to rock the region that winter.

Survivors reported that the earthquakes caused cracks to open in the earth's surface, the ground to roll in visible waves, and large areas of land to sink or rise. The crew of the New Orleans (the first steamboat on the Mississippi, which was on her maiden voyage) reported mooring to an island only to awake in the morning and find that the island had disappeared below the waters of the Mississippi River. Damage was reported as far away as Charleston, South Carolina, and Washington, D.C.

So strong the quake, it actually changed the course of the Mississippi river. Something to think about.