Not only are Humans being held responsible for the 5.1 earthquake in Spain, but mankind is also being held responsible for the earthquake in Italy last year. We’ve known for years that human activity could possibly trigger a small earthquake under certain circumstances, but a new study shows that humans can indeed trigger larger, deathly earthquakes as well. Last year in Spain, the 5.1 magnitude earthquake was linked to being caused by the removal of huge amounts of groundwater used to irrigate the area. As the city of Lorca sucked fresh water out of the ground, the water table dropped approximately 250 meters since the 60’s. Researchers created a computer model that show the lowering of the water table caused part of the crust near the fault to split. The kinetic forces of this break resulted in an elastic ricochet that increased pressure on the fault line. This pressure helped to trigger the earthquake and identify its magnitude.

 Back in 2011 Italy had its 6.3 magnitude quake that killed 309 in L’Aquila, only a week before the deadly earthquake, the National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks met up for a conference, and had a government official tell people there was nothing to worry about and that seismic activity in the area was no threat or danger. Prosecutors suspected that this announcement led people to stay in their homes instead of trying to evacuate and escape, causing the many deaths in Italy.