Original article on The Epoch Times by Jana J. Pruet
A sizable earthquake shook West Texas Friday, July 26th on the morning followed by a series of aftershocks that were felt about 200 miles away. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the 5.1 magnitude quake at 9:28 a.m. local time in Hermleigh, Texas, which is in Scurry County, about 200 miles west of Fort Worth.
The USGS initially registered Friday’s earthquake as a magnitude 4.8, but it was later upgraded. Several smaller earthquakes followed. The second earthquake at 10:40 a.m. was registered as a magnitude 3.3, followed by a magnitude 2.7 four minutes later and a magnitude 2.5 at 11:11 a.m.
Hydraulic fracking is often believed to cause earthquakes, but that is rarely the case, according to USGS.
The pressure levels in wastewater injection can raise pressure levels in the rock formation over longer periods and across larger areas than fracking, making it “more likely to induce earthquakes than hydraulic fracturing.”
“Most wastewater injection wells are not associated with felt earthquakes,” USGS states, adding that the combination of many factors would be necessary to induce felt earthquakes. The strongest earthquake recorded in Texas history was a magnitude 6 on Aug. 13, 1931.
