Off The Record
Multiple Earthquakes Shake Remote West Texas, Tremors Felt Over 100 Miles Away
On Saturday, a string of earthquakes shook West Texas, causing tremors to be felt over a hundred miles distant.
At 7:47 p.m. local time, a strong 5.4 magnitude earthquake rocked buildings and streets.
Prior to being upgraded, it was classified as a 5.3 magnitude tremor, with its epicentre being around 35 miles south of Whites City, New Mexico.
According to the US Geological Society, the earthquake shook thousands of people around the area and was 4.6 miles deep.
A street in El Paso, which is around 200 miles away, was captured on camera trembling during the quake.
Two minor aftershocks with a magnitude of 2.9 followed, although the USGS cautioned that more might occur in the upcoming week.
“Damaging earthquakes can occur in the future, so remember to: Drop, Cover, and Hold on,” USGS said on its website.
“More earthquakes than usual (called aftershocks) will continue to occur near the mainshock.”
More than 1,500 people reported feeling the effects of the earthquakes, but no fatalities or damage have been reported as of yet.
Culberson County is experiencing one of the most powerful tremors in recent memory.
The region is prone to earthquakes, and since 1882, the USGS reports that Texas has had 17 tremors greater than a magnitude 5.
A magnitude 8 earthquake in western Texas was the most powerful of these.
Oil and gas drilling has been blamed for the rise in earthquakes that have shaken the area over the years.
Seismic activity spiked last month, with numerous earthquakes trembling the western portion of the state.
Fracking, which involves blasting massive amounts of water, chemicals, and sand into rock formations to crack them apart and liberate the contained fuels, is well-known throughout the state.
Although the disposal of fracking-generated wastewater can create tremors, fracturing is typically not the direct source of earthquakes.
According to a 2022 study by the University of Texas at Austin, oil and gas extraction was “highly associated” with 68 percent of Texas earthquakes larger than 1.5.
Dr. Alexandros Savvaidis has described how increased seismic activity in the state could result from increased drilling.
“Deep injection wells, in particular, are linked to higher-magnitude earthquakes,” Dr Savvaidis told KMID. “Whereas shallower injections seem to be less hazardous in terms of large seismic events.”
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