In Texas, the fifth earthquake in just 48 hours was reported, raising concerns about the cause of the series of quakes.
The 2.5 magnitude quake is believed to have been an aftershock of a 4 magnitude quake that struck around 10:30 p.m. CST on Wednesday night.
All five quakes struck in the northern Texas town of Hermleigh. Tuesday’s quake measured 4.9.
The mysterious series of earthquakes has caught the attention of scientists, who believe the state’s oil and gas industry is responsible.
The USGS recorded a 2.5 magnitude hurricane hitting the state on Friday, just days after Hermleigh residents experienced a 4.9 magnitude hurricane earlier this week — the eighth largest hurricane to hit the state.
Scientists have speculated that the recent series of earthquakes in Texas is largely due to hydraulic fracturing — also known as fracking — in which wastewater is injected into the earth to release natural gas for energy. Pictured: A fracking site in Garden City, Texas
“We can say with certainty that these are related to oil and gas extraction,” said Justin Rubinstein, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Menlo Park, California. Today in the US.
Texas residents were awakened by a 4.9 magnitude earthquake in Hermleigh at 10:38 p.m. CST Monday, the eighth-largest earthquake in state history.
The quake was felt 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the epicenter and affected 1.6 million people, including Austin, southern Oklahoma and New Mexico.
Less than 10 minutes later, the area was hit by an aftershock measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale. A third aftershock measuring 3.1 on the Richter scale struck on Tuesday morning.
Hermleigh was hit by another 4.0 magnitude earthquake shortly before 11pm CST on Thursday, followed by a 2.5 magnitude aftershock about an hour later.
Scientists now suspect that the recent series of earthquakes is largely the result of hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, which involves injecting wastewater into the earth to release natural gas for energy.
Texas is the world’s leading country in fracking. As of February 2017, there were 279,615 oil and gas wells in the state. By 2023, that number had risen to 373,133 active wells.
The area near the site of the earthquake has seen a significant increase in seismic activity since 2019. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), this is related to the techniques used to extract oil and natural gas from the ground.
Fracking is when miners drill deep into the earth’s surface and release water under high pressure. This creates a small explosion, releasing natural gas and oil that can be used to generate energy.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck northern Texas, affecting 1.6 million people as far away as Austin, southern Oklahoma and New Mexico
The action brings groundwater to the surface and when it is injected back into the ground, it puts pressure on the fault lines, resulting in more earthquakes.
“There are some weaknesses in the rock up there,” said Moira Plantier, a geology professor at Hardin-Simmons University. 12ABC News in response to the recent earthquakes in North Texas.
“Most of it is attributed to human activities, like sewage injection and things like that. That’s when we start to see the weak spots forming.”
Colorado, Oklahoma, Ohio and Arkansas have also experienced earthquakes associated with hydraulic fracturing in recent years.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized the link between earthquakes and fracking since 1990.
Between 1967 and 2000, Oklahoma recorded only 21 earthquakes above magnitude 3.0 each year, but since the fracking boom began in 2010, the state has experienced an average of more than 300 quakes.
While much of the U.S. experiences natural earthquakes, the USGS reported that “in some regions, such as the south-central states, a significant portion of recent earthquakes are attributed by many seismologists to human-induced earthquakes.” Pictured: Oil field
While much of the U.S. experiences natural earthquakes, the USGS reported that “in some regions, such as the south-central states, many seismologists believe that a large proportion of recent earthquakes are human-caused.”
The Railroad Commission (RRC), which oversees the oil and gas industry in Texas, can suspend or revoke permits for saltwater discharges if it determines the water is contributing to increased seismic activity.
In January, the commission revoked 23 permits that allow oil and gas companies to inject wastewater into the ground, after finding that the practice was causing fault lines to rupture and earthquakes.
The RRC has also submitted a plan that would ban operators from injecting wastewater for two years if the area experiences an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 or greater.
The company is also exploring other alternatives to water filtration to use the wastewater for “beneficial purposes,” said Dr. Peter Hennings, a research professor at the Bureau of Economic Geology in Austin. KXAN News.
“If we understand why fractures rupture in some places and not in others, we can better determine where the injection occurs,” he continued.
‘Perhaps in the area where the earthquakes of the past few hours occurred, the amount that should be injected into that area per day has been exceeded.’
DailyMail.com has contacted the Railroad Commission and the Bureau of Economic Geology for comment.