Groundwater removal caused earthquake in Spain, says study

Scientists at the University of Western Ontario published a study at scientific journal “Nature Geoscience” stating that groundwater removal may be implicated in a deadly 2011 earthquake in the Spanish city of Lorca. Detailed surface maps from satellite allowed them to infer which parts of the ground moved where, and the moves correlate with locations where water has been drained for years.

The team led by geologist Pablo Gonzalez at the Canadian university found that the earthquake resulted from slippage on a comparatively shallow fault that borders a large water basin south of the city. The slippage happened at a depth of just 3km, which explains why the fairly 5.1-degree quake caused so much damage in the area. Ten people died and more than 400 were injured following the quake in 11 May 2011.