Wednesday’s quake in West Texas was the third-strongest in the state’s history

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Wednesday’s earthquake in West Texas is the third-strongest on record in the state, according to data from the USGS.

The magnitude 5.3 earthquake was recorded at 3:32 p.m. in Reeves County, about 24 miles west-southwest of Menton.

People felt the quake as far away as Austin, more than 350 miles away.

According to the USGS, the quake occurred “within the North American Plate, far beyond any tectonic plate boundaries.”

Only two earthquakes scored higher on the earthquake magnitude scale, which is the scale used to determine the strength of an earthquake.

An event measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale on August 16, 1931 holds the title of the most powerful earthquake to hit Texas. It struck at 5:40 a.m. CST in Presidio County, about 12 kilometers southwest of Valentine.

Recently, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake was recorded on April 14, 1995, in Brewster County, about 13 km northwest of Marathon.

Since 2018, about 1,000 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or higher have struck within 50 kilometers of Wednesday’s quake, according to the USGS.

Earthquakes in Texas are becoming more common

Most notable was the 5.0-magnitude earthquake on March 26, 2020. The epicenter of that earthquake was only about 10 kilometers north of Wednesday’s quake.

The USGS said scientific studies have linked the increase in earthquakes across the central and eastern United States to human activity, such as injecting wastewater into deep disposal wells, and enhancing oil extraction and fracking.

University of Texas researchers found that injecting wastewater can trigger earthquakes along a fault system in Texas

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found that sewage injection greatly increases the likelihood of slipping under a Fort Worth basin if not properly managed. Wastewater injection is a common practice in the oil and gas industry.

The 2019 edition of UT Austin noted that the Fort Worth basin saw “a significant increase in seismic activity from 2008 to 2015 as oil and gas operations increased, but a significant decrease in seismicity over the past four years as injection slowed.”

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