Viewpoint

Recent studies show that the oil boom was the actual cause of the Los Angeles based earthquakes that occurred in 1920-30. These series of earthquakes caused severe damage to people around. The magnitude was 6.4 which itself suggests how massive the destruction would have been. It is said that the drilling which took place on a large scale to find oil caused or triggered the earthquakes.

Back then technology was not so advanced and people had no clear idea of how the extraction of oil on a large scale could cause harm to the earth.

Now there are systems with the help of which we replace the oil extracted with same volume of water to prevent the earth from sinking in. However this was an unknown fact which could have saved many lives. There were repeated attempts to extract oil between 1915 and 1932. Most of the earthquakes have also occurred during this period. This is how the researchers concluded that excessive oil extraction without water replacement would have disturbed the equilibrium on the earth’s surface and triggered the seismic eruptions.

The studies however are based on the evidence a few witness have given. So this is not so reliable. Unfortunately there were no methods to record what actually happened during that time.

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For years, coal mines have been providing energy for the country. Once the mining is done, companies are supposed to reestablish it. But it seems like there is not enough funds to fulfill the promises.

Reestablishing a coal mine is a wide and expensive process. For that there is something called sel
f-bonding which is an assurance for the mining companies which is based on their financial status. Normally a company goes through a financial analysis to qualify for the self-bonding. Some companies get the self-bonding but before the restoration they file for bankruptcy which gives birth to the question of who will pay for the clean-up. Authorities are still trying to get a clear picture of this.

Researchers say that companies are scared to put the real money because of the additional expenses which could put their business out and therefore they put a stop on mining and restoration. It is a difficult case full of lawyers and press releases.

People have acquired land from Coal Company for agricultural purposes. They expect that someday the site will be reestablished and things will become like they were before.
It seems like the coal company clean is not going to happen in the near future as the companies are not showing any come back sign.

It is possible that reclamation will be handed over to state agencies. In places like Ohio, coal mining tax helps in fund reclamation. A recent report shows that there are many coal mines which are awaiting clean-up .Geologist say that if the mines are not cleaned up it will look like moonscapes. Once the mines are reestablished people will get a lot of vegetation and wild life. The standard of the streams will be phenomenal. The only fact is someone has to pay for the clean-up.
Let us know of your opinions in the comments section.