Is New Mexico ready for an increase in earthquakes? This is what our reports address

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CARLSBAD – The railroad track that runs behind the former Carlsbad Current-Argus office on South Main Street often carried trains that shook the old building for minutes. But the tremor on March 26, 2020 was different. It was short and sharp. The metal cabinets squeaked and the window panes rattled.

Recorded that day by the USGS stationed west of Menton, Texas, the 5.0-magnitude earthquake caused no damage but was at the time the largest recorded earthquake in the area in at least two decades.

Since then, increasingly large-scale seismic events have hit the same area. The most recent 5.2-magnitude earthquake was centered near Midland, Texas, on December 16, 2022. Damage from the November 16, 2022 earthquake was reported in Texas, but it was relatively minor. In Carlsbad, merchants in the downtown area flooded the street that day with one question: “Did you feel that, too?” Residents of Las Cruces and Albuquerque reported feeling the quake as well.

In the past three years, the USGS has recorded 10 seismic events of magnitude 4.5 or higher — and not only are earthquakes getting stronger, they’re getting more frequent, which could mean that those who live and work in southern New Mexico and western Texas may be starting to feel the growing consequences. to seismic activity.

What is less clear is why this is happening. With our reports, seismologists and geologists have linked the change to the booming oil and gas industry, which dumps wastewater through injection wells. These wells see millions of gallons of toxic water pumped back into a geology prone to drilling and erosion.

There are hundreds of such disposal wells in the Permian Basin.

The Current-Argus always begins its coverage of earthquake activity in the region with a consultation with USGS data — and the data tells an unsettling story of a link between the two that is now being explored more deeply in the research communities and with the fossil fuel industry itself.

In Shaky Ground, Current-Argus and its reporting partner, KRWG Public Media, explore what increased seismic activity means for residents of the Permian Basin, and how solutions are now being sought to not only mitigate current impacts but avert catastrophe.

Lawmakers in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico have taken up the issue with legislation that addresses its supposed cause: grouting wells and hydraulic fracturing.

Oil and gas operators are beginning to explore technology that limits the use of injection wells and focuses instead on recycling wastewater, keeping them away from fragile geology.

We’re in luck: Some of the world’s most devastating natural disasters are the result of earthquakes, loss of life, damage running into the billions, and economic losses. The world experiences small earthquakes on a daily basis – such as the hundreds of magnitude 2.0 earthquakes that are recorded in the Permian Basin annually. Worldwide, there are about 100 per year that measure 7.0 or greater and cause severe damage.

I had no idea what an appropriate response to a seismic event was before doing this report, and the thousands who live in the Permian Basin have no doubt paused to consider the correct response to an earthquake either.

Are you moving to the entrance? Are you hiding under the table?

What if your home or business is damaged? Do you have suitable insurance coverage?

Is there a plan in place for community emergency services to respond to an earthquake causing injury or damage?

These are the questions we asked in this report.

And there is one that I hope this report will answer for our readers: What can be done to ensure that our society is protected and prepared in the event of an earthquake of significant magnitude?

Read Shaky Ground online July 10 or find it in your print edition on Sunday, July 16. Listen to radio and watch it online with KRWG Public Media at www.krwg.org on Monday, July 10th.

Note to readers: We’ve made this story free as an important public service. If you are able, help promote local journalism.

Jessica Onsurez can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @JussGREAT.

This article is part of Shaky Ground, a collaborative reporting project between Carlsbad Current-Argus and KRWG Public Media.

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