Lorca earthquake 'caused by groundwater extraction'

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-20025807


The relatively modest Magnitude 5.1 quake resulted in extensive damage and nine deaths


Scientists studying the fault beneath the Spanish city of Lorca say that groundwater removal may be implicated in a deadly 2011 earthquake there.

Detailed surface maps from satellite studies allowed them to infer which parts of the ground moved where.

They report in Nature Geoscience that those shifts correlate with locations where water has been drained for years.

The study highlights how human activity such as drainage or borehole drilling can have far-reaching seismic effects.