BIO

I am John Sharkey from Hollywood, Florida. I am in my second year here at Florida State University. I am majoring in risk management and insurance and I hope to continue my academic career after graduation by pursuing a master's in finance.

Research for a Novel set in Oklahoma: from 19th Century Injustices to 21st Century Earthquake Swarms

Abstract

In our nation’s schools, the institution of slavery focuses on the formation of the triangular trade patterns developed between Africa, Europe, and the Americas. It is taught, not inaccurately, that African slaves were transported across the Atlantic Sea to fill the high labor demands of agriculture in the Americas. It is also taught that upon European and Native American contact, Native Americans would contract diseases and die in very high percentages of their total population. This project examines new evidence presented by Andres Resendez that purports the enslavement of the Native Americans, not the foreign diseases, is what most led to the dwindling of the most Native American’s numbers. Today, the Pawnee Nation in Oklahoma faces a different threat. The number of earthquakes registered in Oklahoma has spiked tremendously within the past few years. This project examines the claim that these earthquakes are related to fracking as well as poor wastewater management.

Keywords: Pawnee Nation, fracking, wastewater, seismicity, earthquakes