Continued Tremors in North Texas Back to Blog
A 3.7-magnitude earthquake hit about 10 miles north-northeast of Mineral Wells, near Perrin, this week. The quake hit at 3:23 a.m. and is the most powerful of more than 20 temblors felt in North Texas in the past few weeks, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A day earlier, a 3.6-magnitude earthquake shook Parker County about 2 miles northwest of Azle. Generally, it takes a magnitude-5 quake to cause damage. Authorities on Monday had no reports of damage in Jack, Parker or Palo Pinto counties. Survey geophysicists say there is growing evidence linking mild earthquakes in areas previously without much seismic activity not to drilling activities but to injection wells used to dispose of wastewater and chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. Not all injection wells cause tremors, they say. The energy industry and its state regulator, the Texas Railroad Commission, have not rejected connections between seismic events and injection well use but call scientific consensus on the issue still theoretical and say more research is needed.