Deep brine well may have caused 3.9 Colo-Utah quake
Photo of Colorado earthquake on Flagstaff, Ariz. NAU seismograph
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Posted: 01/25/2013
Last Updated:
116 days ago
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - A federal agency says a minor earthquake in Colorado and Utah might have been caused by a high-pressure well that injects brine 16,000 feet into the Earth.
Justyn Hock of the Bureau of Reclamation said Friday the well has caused hundreds of tiny quakes in the past. Officials are looking at whether it caused Wednesday's 3.9-magnitude quake as well.
The well is part of a project that removes excess salt from the Colorado and Dolores rivers. Officials say the project disposes of the brine by injecting into the Earth in the form of brine.
Agency officials say the brine is forced into fissures that sometimes crack open wider under the pressure and cause earthquakes.
The possible link to Wednesday's quake was first reported in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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