Large earthquakes linked to oil and gas development may be occurring in new areas of Texas, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Texas, Austin, found that seismic activity in the Midland Basin — which is in the western part of the state — may be moving northeast along a newly identified and “extensive” fault zone. The area is part of the larger Permian Basin, one of the nation’s main oil-and-gas-producing regions.
“The fault zone has been activated, and it has the capability to trigger additional earthquakes that can be felt by humans, especially because it’s so close to major cities along Interstate 20” in Texas, said Dino Huang, a research assistant professor at the Jackson School of Geosciences who led the research. It was published in Seismological Research Letters and touted by the university this month. Cities near the fault zone include Odessa and Midland.
The state’s earthquakes have been blamed on the underground injection of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The process requires fluid to be pumped into the earth to separate rock formations underground, allowing oil and gas producers to squeeze out more fossil fuels.
