Current:Home > MyFresh quakes damage West Texas area with long history of tremors caused by oil and gas industry-LoTradeCoin
Fresh quakes damage West Texas area with long history of tremors caused by oil and gas industry
View Date:2024-12-23 19:53:39
Damaging earthquakes that rocked West Texas in recent days were likely caused by oil and gas activity in an area that has weathered tremors for decades, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A sequence that began in 2021 erupted with its largest quake on Friday, a magnitude 5.1 in the most active area in the country for quakes induced by oil and gas activities, experts say. The recent quakes damaged homes, infrastructure, utility lines, and other property, weakening foundations and cracking walls, the city of Snyder Office of Emergency Management said on Facebook. Officials declared a disaster in Scurry County.
There have been more than 50 earthquakes with a magnitude of 3 or larger — the smallest quakes generally felt by people are magnitude 2.5 to 3 — in the yearslong sequence, said Robert Skoumal, a research geophysicist with the USGS, in an email. A sequence is generally a swarm of earthquakes in a particular region motivated by the same activities, he said.
While Friday’s was the largest in the sequence, officials have also recorded a recent 4.5, a 4.9 on July 23 and a 4.7 last year.
“This particular portion of the Permian Basin has a long history of earthquakes induced by oil and gas operations, going back to at least the 1970s,” said Skoumal.
The Permian Basin, which stretches from southeastern New Mexico and covers most of West Texas, is a large basin known for its rich deposits of petroleum, natural gas and potassium and is composed of more than 7,000 fields in West Texas. It is the most active area of induced earthquakes in the country and likely the world, according to the USGS. The are many ways people can cause, or induce, earthquakes, but the vast majority of induced earthquakes in the Central United States are caused by oil and gas operations, Skoumal said.
Earthquakes were first introduced to the area via water flooding, a process in which water is injected into the ground to increase production from oil reservoirs.
Four other tremors larger than a magnitude 5 have rattled western Texas in the past few years. The biggest was a 5.4. “All four of these earthquakes were induced by wastewater disposal,” said Skoumal.
Further analysis is needed to confirm the specific cause of the region’s earthquakes, but because the area isn’t naturally seismic and has a long history of induced earthquakes, “these recent earthquakes are likely to also have been induced by oil and gas operations,” said Skoumal.
Oklahoma experienced a dramatic spike in the number of earthquakes in the early 2010s that researchers linked to wastewater from oil and gas extraction that was being injected deep into the ground, activating ancient faults deep within the earth’s crust. The wastewater is left over from oil and natural gas production and includes saltwater, drilling fluids and other mineralized water.
The large increase in Oklahoma quakes more than a decade ago led state regulators to place restrictions on the disposal of wastewater, particularly in areas around the epicenter of quakes. Since then, the number of quakes began to decline dramatically.
___
AP writer Sean Murphy contributed from Oklahoma City.
___
The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.
veryGood! (685)
Related
- Don't Miss Cameron Diaz's Return to the Big Screen Alongside Jamie Foxx in Back in Action Trailer
- Snack food maker to open production in long-overlooked Louisville area, Beshear says
- Georgia deputy fatally shoots 'kind' man who served 16 years for wrongful conviction
- Oklahoma school bus driver faces kidnapping charges after refusing to let students leave
- RHOBH's Kyle Richards Shares Reaction to BFF Teddi Mellencamp's Divorce
- It's a pink Halloween. Here are some of the most popular costumes of 2023
- At least 189 bodies found decaying at a Colorado funeral home, up from 115, officials say
- Federal jury convicts two employees in fatal Wisconsin corn mill explosion
- Why Outer Banks Fans Think Costars Rudy Pankow and Madison Bailey Used Stunt Doubles Amid Rumored Rift
- 3 face federal charges in bizarre South Florida kidnapping plot
Ranking
- Kim Kardashian Says She's Raising Her and Kanye West's 4 Kids By Herself
- AP PHOTOS: The death toll soars on war’s 11th day, compounding misery and fueling anger
- ‘Not knowing’ plunges the families of Israel’s missing into a limbo of pain and numbness
- The world’s best sports car? AWD & electric power put 2024 Corvette E-Ray in the picture
- American arrested in death of another American at luxury hotel in Ireland
- Jeannie Mai's Estranged Husband Jeezy Details His 8-Year Battle With Depression
- Kansas agency investigated girl’s family 5 times before she was killed, a report shows
- Travis Kelce Hilariously Reacts to Taylor Swift’s NFL Moment With His Dad Ed Kelce
Recommendation
-
Today's Craig Melvin Replacing Hoda Kotb: Everything to Know About the Beloved Anchor
-
Deputy fatally shoots exonerated man who was wrongfully convicted for 16 years
-
Pennsylvania prison officials warned of 'escape risk' before Danelo Cavalcante breakout
-
The Fate of Kim Zolciak's $6 Million Mansion Revealed Amid Kroy Biermann Divorce
-
Week 10 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
-
Wisconsin Republicans reject eight Evers appointees, including majority of environmental board
-
Maryland medical waste incinerator to pay $1.75M fine for exposing public to biohazardous material
-
Musk’s X tests $1 fee for new users in the Philippines and New Zealand in bid to target spam