West Texas Earthquake Caused By Oil Extraction

West Texas got a jolt on Monday night with not one, but three earthquakes hitting Scurry County. The biggest of the trio was a magnitude 4.9 quake, making it the eighth strongest in Texas history! It struck at 10:38 p.m., followed closely by a 4.4 magnitude quake and a smaller 3.1 magnitude tremor, all in the same area.

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So what's behind these sudden shakes? According to Justin Rubinstein, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey, these earthquakes are linked to oil and gas extraction. The area has seen a spike in seismic activity since 2019, and experts believe it's due to enhanced oil recovery techniques used to squeeze out the last bits of oil and natural gas from old fields.

In this process, water or carbon dioxide is pumped into wells to push remaining oil and gas toward other wells where they can be extracted. While this method is great for getting those last drops, it can also mess with the underground balance and potentially trigger earthquakes.

Interestingly, the previous largest quake linked to these techniques was a 4.6 magnitude in the Cogdell Oil Field near Snyder, Texas. Texas isn't usually known for its earthquakes, but recent years have seen an uptick in seismic activity thanks to new oil production methods.

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Other recent quakes in Texas, like the 4.2 magnitude near Whites City, New Mexico, and a 4.4 magnitude in Martin County, are likely related to fracking and saltwater disposal. Fracking involves injecting water, sand, and chemicals into the ground to create fractures that allow oil and gas to flow more freely. This process, along with saltwater disposal, can also lead to increased earthquake activity.

While Monday's quakes didn't cause any injuries or damage, they serve as a reminder that even in places like Texas, where earthquakes aren't the norm, the ground can still shake—especially when oil and gas are involved.

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