Earthquakes in West Texas? Here's Why They're Increasingly Common in the Texas Basin

PERMIAN BASIN (KMID/KPEJ) — Earthquakes are no stranger to the United States, with hundreds occurring each year. But with no major fault line running through West Texas, why do so many earthquakes occur in the region? Scientists point to the rise of hydraulic fracturing and how companies deal with wastewater.

According to Dr. Xiaowei Chen, professor of geology and geophysics at Texas A&M University, the earthquake activity in West Texas is mainly related to the disposal of wastewater, most of which is produced during oil and gas extraction. This is a common practice by oil companies at the end of the hydraulic fracturing process, which can awaken dormant fault lines.

During hydraulic fracturing, oil companies pump a mixture of fluid and sand through ancient shale formations, fracturing the rock to release a stream of oil. For every barrel of oil, five to 10 barrels of brine can also be produced. This wastewater is typically disposed of by subsurface injection, which can cause earthquakes.

Dr. Chen explained that earthquakes occur when the pressure on a fault exceeds the fault's strength. The injected water increases the pore pressure and changes the normal stress and shear on the fault, causing it to slip easily and produce earthquakes.

In the Midland Basin, Dr. Chen said earthquakes occur within crystalline basement rocks, at a depth of about four kilometers. Above these basement rocks are different sedimentary layers, and injecting wastewater into these deeper layers can facilitate stress transfer to basement faults. These earthquakes tend to occur near injection sites, Dr. Chen added, and usually occur after a period of time.

Related: Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake Shakes West Texas

The U.S. Geological Survey reports that more than 3,600 earthquakes have been reported in Texas since 1900, more than 70 of which were magnitude 4 or greater, and at least eight of which were magnitude 5 or greater.

A cropped map showing the location of earthquakes in Texas between 1900 and July 2023. (KXAN/Christopher Adams)

The most powerful earthquake in Texas history struck at about 5:40 a.m. on Aug. 16, 1931. The 5.8-magnitude quake was centered about 7.5 miles southwest of Valentine, a small town in Presidio County, between El Paso and Big Bend. The USGS also showed that 82 percent of all Texas earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or greater have occurred since the beginning of 2020.

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