Thousands of earthquakes have been caused by fracking operations.

The disturbing rise in earthquakes in Oklahoma has corresponded to increased fracking activity and oil production in the state.

Since 2008, Oklahoma has gone from averaging fewer than two earthquakes per year that measure at least 3.0 in magnitude to surpassing California as the most seismically active state in the continental U.S. Oklahoma is on pace to endure close to 1,000 earthquakes for 2015.

Seismologists believe the quakes are the result of wastewater injection wells used by the fracking industry.

Horizontal oil wells in Oklahoma can produce as many as nine or ten barrels of salty, toxin-laced water for every barrel of oil. Much of that fluid is injected back underground into wastewater disposal wells.

Cushing Oklahoma is the largest commercial oil storage hub in North America with more than 60 million barrels.

The massive oil stockpile faces an emerging threat: earthquakes. Because of fracking operations an earthquake measuring 4.5 hit 3-miles away from the Cushing storage area on October 10th 2015.

"We're fairly new to earthquakes in Oklahoma," said Chris Pixler, Cushing's fire chief. "We've always been good at preparing for fires and tornados, and now we're making some changes we felt were necessary in terms of getting information out to citizens about earthquake safety."

In June, the Oklahoma Supreme Court said that a woman injured in an earthquake could sue an Oklahoma oil company for damages.

In Oklahoma one in five jobs is tied to the oil and gas industry.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which oversees oil and gas, ordered wells within three miles of Cushing to shut down entirely and those between three and six miles from the town to reduce their volume by 25 percent. The OCC put all wastewater injection wells within 10 miles of Cushing on notice.

The Environmental Protection Agency urged the OCC to "implement additional regulatory actions."

Hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) is a technique in which rock is fractured by a pressurized liquid to extract fluids or gases from a well. The process involves the high-pressure injection of 'fracking fluid' (primarily water, containing sand or other proppants suspended with the aid of thickening agents) into a wellbore to create cracks in the deep-rock formations through which natural gas, petroleum, and brine will flow more freely. When the hydraulic pressure is removed from the well, small grains of hydraulic fracturing proppants (either sand or aluminum oxide) hold the fractures open.

Fracking fluid is typically a slurry of water, proppant, and chemical additives. Additionally, gels, foams, and compressed gases, including nitrogen, carbon dioxide and air can be injected. Typically, 90% of the fluid is water and 9.5% is sand with chemical additives accounting to about 0.5%. Fracturing fluids have been developed using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and propane in which water is unnecessary

The water brought in is mixed with sand and chemicals to create fracking fluid. Approximately 40,000 gallons of chemicals are used per fracturing. A typical fracture treatment uses between 3 and 12 additive chemicals. Although there may be unconventional fracturing fluids, typical chemical additives can include one or more of the following:

Acids—hydrochloric acid or acetic acid; Sodium chloride; Polyacrylamide; Ethylene glycol; Borate salts; Sodium and potassium carbonates; Glutaraldehyde; Guar gum; Citric acid; Isopropanol.

Injection of radioactive tracers along with the fracturing fluid is sometimes used to determine the injection profile and location of created fractures. Radiotracers are selected to have the readily detectable radiation, appropriate chemical properties, and a half life and toxicity level that will minimize initial and residual contamination.

The environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing include air emissions and climate change, high water consumption, water contamination, land use, risk of earthquakes, noise pollution, and health effects on humans. Air emissions are primarily methane that escapes from wells, along with industrial emissions from equipment used in the extraction process. Modern UK and EU regulation requires zero emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Approximately 9 acres of land is needed per each drill pad for surface installations. Well pad and supporting structure construction fragments landscapes and likely has negative effects on wildlife. These sites need to be remediated after wells are exhausted. Each well pad (in average 10 wells per pad) involves about 800 to 2,500 days of noisy activity, which affect both residents and local wildlife. In addition, noise is created by continuous truck traffic (water, sand, etc.) needed in hydraulic fracturing.

An average fracking well requires 3 to 8 million gallons of water over its lifetime.

The environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing include air emissions and climate change, high water consumption, water contamination, land use, risk of earthquakes, noise pollution, and health effects on humans. Air emissions are primarily methane that escapes from wells, along with industrial emissions from equipment used in the extraction process, typically unregulated diesel.

Contamination of groundwater from the underground hydraulic fracturing process itself is unlikely because of depth but aquifers could be affected. Surface spills of hydraulic fracturing fluids or wastewater may affect groundwater, and emissions to air also have the potential to impact on health

Hydraulic fracturing sometimes causes induced seismicity or earthquakes.

In 2011, after public pressure France became the first nation to ban hydraulic fracturing, based on the precautionary principle as well as the principle of preventive and corrective action of environmental hazards