With the largest quakes epicentered on the dam, and many more of similar magnitude, it is difficult to NOT associate seismic activity with the 10 injection wells into the Dakota Sandstone and Morrison Formation.
While the quakes in December 2010 near Abiquiu Lake were not this intense, the consequences of exploratory and injection wells in the Rio Chama Watershed in New Mexico clearly have not received proper study, if any.
It is unknown if proximity of the Dakota Sandstone to the surface, with only Greenhorn Limestone and Mancos Shale to buffer any upheaval, could be less damaging, or even less likely to trigger deeper seismic shifts.