On Friday, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake hit West Texas near Ackerly, while a 3.0 magnitude earthquake struck in Mexico. The USGS attributes increased seismic activity primarily to wastewater disposal from oil production, rather than hydraulic fracturing directly.
On Friday, a preliminary magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck West Texas, located approximately 16 miles southwest of Ackerly, at a depth of 4.2 miles. Ackerly is situated about 62 miles northeast of Midland by road, and the tremor occurred at 12:33 p.m. MT.
Additionally, another earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 3 was recorded near the Texas border in Mexico, occurring at 12:31 p.m. MT. This quake was located around 33 miles south-southwest of Sierra Blanca, Texas, and occurred at a depth of 6.5 miles.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has noted that most induced earthquakes are not directly a result of hydraulic fracturing, but rather due to the disposal of waste fluids produced from oil production. The agency emphasizes that wastewater disposal wells typically operate longer and inject larger volumes of fluid than hydraulic fracturing processes, making them more prone to induce seismic activity.
The largest induced earthquake associated with hydraulic fracturing in the United States was reported at a magnitude of 4.0, which occurred in Texas in 2018.
In summary, two notable earthquakes occurred in West Texas and Northern Mexico on Friday. The USGS attributes the increase in seismic activity in the central United States mainly to wastewater disposal from oil production. This highlights the ongoing concerns regarding the impact of such practices on earthquake occurrences.
Original Source: www.lonestarlive.com
