3 ms·

are you telling me a family drilled to heat their home and caused earthquake? that sounds absurd

• usrusr 5y ago
  The really interesting question might sound even more absurd: did that earthquake release stress that would have been released sooner or (worse:) later anyways? Should people affected by the earthquake thank the family for releasing stress before more accumulate?
  • darkerside 5y ago
    Not absurd. Do you think the same might apply to quakes caused by fracking?
    • usrusr 5y ago
      That's literally what I've been wondering next. The question marks where genuine, not rhetoric. (I can't claim that this is always the case with my question marks, so I'm in no position to complain if they are not taken at face value)
      • darkerside 5y ago
        Same. Not a rhetorical question. Wildfires are the clear analogue. I wonder if it actually works that way. I would guess not. The size and strength of a massive earthquake is just so hard to understand. That the Richter scale is logarithmic is just incredible. A few small quakes here and there seem unlikely to meaningfully detract from its power.
• derac 5y ago
  The straufen issue wasn't an earthquake. A chemical reaction occured when water mixed with an anhydrous layer, causing the ground to swell up to 12 inches per the linked wiki article.