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Though the small earthquake Friday was barely noticed by local residents, it was enough to catch the attention of those with political aspirations.
The 2.6-magnitude quake was noted by the U.S. Geological Study at 8:20 a.m. just south of Ohio 676 between Hickman and Smith roads in Palmer Township.
Werner Lange, a Democratic congressional candidate who plans to run against U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson in the Sixth congressional District, blames the oil and gas industry.
"Dangerously close (to) that area is one of the most intense fracking (hydraulic fracturing) operations in the entire nation, and man-made earthquakes directly connected to fracking are on the rise," said Lange. "The time to impose a moratorium on fracking is now. The time for a full-scale independent investigation into this earthquake is now."
Meanwhile, retired Marietta College petroleum engineering professor Bob Chase noted that no hydraulic fracturing is occurring within the vicinity of the shaker.
"Bah, humbug," said Chase. "There's no horizontal drilling going on in that area and therefore no hydraulic fracturing there… But there are active faults in Washington County, especially along the rivers and the Burning Spring Anticline."
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources confirmed Tuesday that the earthquake was "natural seismicity."
"Seismic activity in Ohio is monitored 24/7, 365 days a year through real-time seismic monitoring stations across eastern Ohio that send notifications of seismic activity to our seismologists," said Steve Irwin on behalf of ODNR. "The seismologists then review the data for a precise location, depth, magnitude and wave formation to determine if an event is naturally occurring seismic activity or induced seismic activity."
But Lange said Tuesday that he would be surprised, given the amount of oil and gas work and brine injection occurring in Washington County, if the earthquake was not related to the industry.
"That's very unusual because of course its at the heart of injection wells and oil and gas country," he said. "I have my doubts and I still call now for a full-scale investigation. I'm very much opposed to fracking, not only because of these man-made earthquakes --no one has the right to create earthquakes--but also because it's raping our earth and national treasures like the Wayne National Forest."
Irwin said the nearest oil and gas completion activity Friday was 19 miles away.
"And the closest injection well is over two miles away," he said. "Our seismologists found no connection between this event and oil and gas activity."
Chase explained that while there have been occurrences of seismic activity near hydraulic fracturing work areas in both Oklahoma and in Columbiana County no such result has been recorded in Washington County.
"But when you have an anticline faults can form anywhere with rocks moving in any direction," he explained. "An anticline is where the rocks are folded upwards in sort of a dome-shaped structure."
In the immediate vicinity of the Friday's seismic activity, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources geographic information system software has recorded 46 wells, 10 of which are documented as having not been drilled while the other 36 are documented as either actively producing or used for domestic use.
In total there are 22 hydraulic fracturing operations permitted in Washington County and three in Center Township in Morgan County.
At a glance
¯ The U.S. Geological Study recorded a 2.6-magnitude earthquake in Washington County's Palmer Township Friday.
¯ The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says the quake was naturally occurring and not related to oil and gas production in the area.
Other recent recorded seismic activity in Washington County:
¯ Newport Township, 2010, 2.8 magnitude.
¯ Newport Township, 2011, 2.6 magnitude.
¯ Newport Township, 2011, 3 magnitude.
¯ Muskingum Township, 2011, 3.1 magnitude.
¯ Marietta, 2015, 2.1 magnitude.
¯ Marietta, 2015, 2.5 magnitude.
Sources: U.S. Geological Study and Ohio Department of Natural Resources.