No, they do not replace the oil with anything else- hence, the wildly fluctuating gas prices. The oil we use is called "fossil fuels." Simply put, this oil is the natural by=product of decomposing dinosaur remains and their bones. When we deplete these resources, we will deplete our oil. As for the cause of earthquakes... those are caused by many things. It might be the tectonic plates shifting. it might be a volcanoe about to erupt. It might be the aftermath of some huge bomb, although that is unlikely. Either way, pumping oil and earthquakes are not related.

Water is pumped into a well to cool and lubricate the drill's cutting head while the well is being drilled. Water and brine are byproducts of the drilling process, since oil cann be located within underground pockets of water or below the water table. The water and brine are heated or super-heated and then injected back into the ground for disposal and to improve extraction of the oil from the rock. Oil in the rocks is displaced by the injected water, bringing more oil to the surface. This is known as injection drilling. Injection wells are also used to extract minerals deep underground. Water is pumped into the well and the slurry that rises to the top of the well contains dissolved minerals, which are then extracted. Oil wells are unlikely to cause earthquakes. Large-scale extraction of water for human use has been known to create geological changes. This occurs when large amounts of water are removed, leaving empty underground cavities that may collapse. This may lead to subsidence of the ground in the vicinity of the well. However, water is not always stored in large pockets like underground caverns. It may be distributed through cracks in fractured rock or be held in some types of soil. these areas are relatively stable. However, with more and more water being drawn from deep wells in very dry regions, for use as drinking and washing water, for watering lawns, for industrial purposes, and for irrigation of crops in (unsuitably) dry regions, water tables are falling rapidly. This may not trigger earthquakes, but can lead to inadequate supplies, contamination of the water table with brine moving in from other underground areas, and the salinization of the land, rendering it less and less suitable for agriculture. ------------------------------------------------------------ Re: "Subsidence occures when water is extracted from unconsolidated sediments" True, but I haven't heard of many fossil fuel deposits in areas where, for example, Leda clay is prevalent (as in the area where I live, where it frequently causes problems).

When drilling a well, "mud" consisting of a special mixture with water in it, is used to pressureize the drilling column and to flush the cuttings from the hole. If you didn't pack this mud into the hole, if you'd ever hit a reservoir of oil, you'd have one of those gushers shooting oil out the top as seen in the old movies. This mud that is used is not injected into the rock strata to any great amounts. It's function is to pressurize the hole so a blow-out cannot occur. The water injection technique requires a second hole, down dip from the oil reservoir. The injected fluid acts as a wedge to slowly push the oil out of the fromation. So, sometimes a fluid is injected to help production. In cases where only oil is removed, I have never heard of an earthquake occurring.

This is a viable question. I am an Alaskan and I have often wondered that myself. Personally, I don't think enough time has passed in order to see the real effects of extracting precious oil from our reserves, but if you look at the number of barrels we go through daily, monthly, or even yearly, it is enough to blow your mind. There is a fire inside the earth. How do we know that the oil isn't there to provide lubrication of some type - similar to the idea of an overheated engine. I have been told that the oil is often replaced with water. Maybe it's just me, but I don't feel comfortable with that. We are much too complacent and we are reaping what we have sown. Just look around.

I definitely think that has alot to do with it,when the rain washes mud away from a hill slide, there is nothin for the building to hold it up.

This is not the cause of earthquakes. An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the earth's crust that produces seismic waves. About them replacing oil with something else I don't really know.