A magnitude 3.3 earthquake hits south-central Texas

SMILLE, Texas – An earthquake jolted parts of south-central Texas early Saturday.

An earthquake measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale occurred around 12:50 a.m. in Smiley, a community of about 700 in Gonzales County. There were no reports of damage.

Smiley is located approximately 160 miles west of Houston.

The Texas Tribune reported that West Texas has seen a dramatic increase in earthquakes, jumping from 19 in 2009 to 1,600 in 2017 alone, according to a study published by the University of Texas at Austin.

The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, tracked nearly 20 years of seismic activity. Scientists have documented more than 7,000 earthquakes near Pecos starting in 2009, most of them too small to be felt. Scientists used an earthquake monitoring system that was “some distance” from Pecos but sensitive enough to pick up vibrations from 150 miles.

“West Texas now has the highest earthquake rates in the state,” Heather Dishon, co-author and associate professor at Southern Methodist University, said in a written statement. “What remains uncertain is when the earthquakes actually started. This study addresses that.” While the earthquake activity coincided with a significant increase in oil and gas production in West Texas, the study does not attempt to link the two.

Peter Hennings, co-author of the study and a research scientist at the Office of Economic Geology at the University of Texas, said in a written statement that the research lays the foundation for understanding “the relationship between earthquakes and their human and natural causes.”

West Texas has seen an unprecedented increase in oil and gas production, exacerbating air pollution and leading to a housing crisis, according to a joint investigation by The Texas Tribune and the Center for Public Integrity in 2018.

Our partners at The Texas Tribune have provided a portion of the content in this story.

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit media organization that informs – and engages with – Texas about public policy, politics, government, and statewide issues.

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