Oklahoma City-based SandRidge Energy, the company that just emerged from bankruptcy is blamed in part for causing the largest recorded earthquake in Kansas history according to a report in the Wichita Eagle.
The paper cites the U.S. Geological Survey which recently completed a study into the 2014 earthquake that registered 4.9 magnitude and had an epicenter about 40 miles southwest of Wichita. The quake’s epicenter was near the small town of Milan located in Sumner County and near the Chickaskia River.
The USGS study determined that the quake was caused likely from wastewater injected into one or two nearby wells, one which is still operated by SandRidge Energy. And the Eagle reports the well is still injecting saltwater at the same level it was two years ago when the quake occurred.
The quake was so strong around Milan that it resulted in broken windows, store shelves cleared of items and damage to the town’s old post office and school house.
The USGS report on the 2014 earthquake is to be published next month in the publication, Seismological Research Letters.
