The state of Texas is startled by more than a dozen earthquakes in just the last day.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the earthquake was hit just north of Odessa, Texas at 8:14 am CT.
Only 15 minutes earlier, an earthquake with 3.4 magnitude hit about 30 miles east of Odessa.
Since 4 hours CT on Wednesday, Texas has experienced 16 small earthquakes, along the central and western parts of the state.
In April alone, USGS registered 36 earthquakes in this part of Texas, which extends from Stanton, Texas (41 miles northeast of Odessa) to Culberson County along the western border of the state with New Mexico.
The vast majority has been very small vibrations, with a size between 1.0 and 1.8.
Two quakes this morning, however, were larger, the 3.4 magnitude quake and a 2.1 tremor 13 minutes later in the same place – about 17 miles southwest of Garden City, Texas.
Since March 13, USGS revealed that there were no fewer than 311 small earthquakes in this Texas region.
The US Geological Survey has reported that Texas has experienced various small earthquakes, including 16 in the first days of April alone
It remains a seismic active year for the whole of Texas, which has also seen record cases in the southern part of the state.
On March 10, an earthquake with a force of 3.0 met less than 50 miles south of San Antonio.
Historically, earthquakes had been a rare event in South Texas until this year.
On January 29, an almost-historical magnitude 4.5 earthquake was felt in San Antonio, followed by a 3.6 tremor two days later.
The 4.5 earthquake was the third best earthquake in the history of South -Texas – behind an earthquake with 4.8 magnitude in 2011 and a 4.7 earthquake in February 2024.
Seismic activity above 2.5 in size can often be felt and cause slight damage.
As far as this earthquake caused in West Texas, the answer may have actually been made by humans.
Odessa is in the Perm -Bekken, an important oil and gas production area for the state. That area is also completely free of major error lines, such as those in California that can cause a major destruction.
Cities such as Odessa, Stanton and Midland are all in the rich oil drill area that only has smaller errors that are usually discovered when oil activity rises.
So, would this new outbreak of hundreds of small vibrations actually be a result of the 'drill drill' policy of the Trump administration?
West -Texas has more than 311 very small earthquakes since mid -March, an area without significant seismic error lines
Texas is the largest producer of crude oil and natural gas in the US, based on an assessment of 2023 data by the US Energy Information Administration.
The state is known for its extensive use of fracking, or the process of extracting oil and gas from deep underground by shooting large amounts of water, chemicals and sand in rock formations to open them and release the fuels.
Fracking is usually not the direct cause of an earthquake. It is actually the process of throwing away waste water produced by Fracking that can activate triggers.
This waste water is injected into removal wells that usually work for a longer period of time and receive much more liquid than is injected into the ground during the frack process, so that they produce earthquakes earlier, according to the USGS.
In the most recent speech by President Trump to the Congress, he said: 'We have more liquid gold under our feet than every nation on earth … I am fully authorizing the most talented team ever collected to get it … By releasing the American energy, we will defeat inflation and defeat the costs dramatically lower costs. It is called Drill Baby Boor. '
Dr. Alexandros Savvaidis recently explained how more drilling could lead to more seismic activity in the state.
“Deep injection pits are particularly linked to earthquakes with a higher magnitude,” Dr. Savvaidis to KMID. “While shallower injections seem to be less dangerous in terms of big seismic events.”
'We do not yet know whether this will cause aggressive drilling in the Perm -Basin problems and will increase the seismic risk. Maybe yes, maybe no. The key here … is that we have to follow everything, “Dr. Savvaidis further.
USGS noted that the largest earthquake that is known to have been induced by hydraulic fracture in the US was an earthquake with a size of 4.0 that took place in 2018 in Texas.
Until now, only the 3.4 -salvation of today is near the approach of that level of disruption.
A 2022 study by the University of Texas in Austin concluded that 68 percent of Texas quack above the Magnitude 1.5 'strongly associated' was with oil and gas production.
