TOI World Desk
A series of earthquakes, including a notable magnitude 4.9 quake, struck Scurry County in West Texas on Monday night. Experts have confirmed that these quakes are linked to local oil production methods, according to USA Today.
The seismic activity began at 10:38 pm local time with a magnitude 4.9 earthquake, marking it as one of the state’s most significant quakes on record.This was followed by two additional tremors: a magnitude 4.4 quake at approximately 10:46 pm and a magnitude 3.1 quake at 11:56 pm. The area, which is sparsely populated, reported no injuries or significant damage from the quakes.
“We can say with confidence that these are related to oil and gas extractions,” said Justin Rubinstein, a geophysicist with the US Geological Survey (USGS) in Menlo Park, California. Rubinstein noted that this recent seismic activity highlights growing concerns over induced earthquakes in Texas, a state traditionally not known for its seismic activity.
Until now, the largest earthquake linked to enhanced oil recovery in Texas was a magnitude 4.6 quake in the Cogdell Oil Field area, near Snyder. The recent quakes represent a significant escalation in seismic activity in the region.
The increase in earthquake frequency is attributed to new oil production techniques, particularly enhanced oil recovery. This process involves injecting water or carbon dioxide into oil fields to push out remaining oil and gas. “Say you have 100 wells in one oil and gas reservoir,” explained Rubinstein. “You take half of the field out of production, inject a bunch of water into those wells, and the water pushes the oil over to the other side where it can be extracted.”
Rubinstein emphasized that while the exact cause of the recent earthquakes cannot be pinpointed with certainty, the link to enhanced recovery methods is highly probable. The Permian Basin, a major oil and gas-rich area in West Texas and southeast New Mexico, has experienced a notable rise in earthquake activity since 2019, coinciding with increased oil and gas operations in the region.
Other recent quakes in Texas include a magnitude 4.4 earthquake reported on April 10 in Martin County, about 68 miles southwest of Scurry County, and a magnitude 4.2 earthquake near Whites City, New Mexico, on Tuesday, which followed an earlier magnitude 3.2 tremor in the same area.
These earthquakes are often linked to fracking and saltwater disposal practices. Fracking involves injecting a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals into oil fields at high pressure to create microfractures in rock formations, facilitating the extraction of oil and gas. The process produces significant amounts of wastewater, known as produced water, which must be disposed of via injection wells due to its high salt content and other dissolved materials.
“The advent of new drilling technologies has led to an increase in the amount of wastewater that must be disposed of,” said Rubinstein. “Now you can make money even though you’re pulling out a lot more salt water.”
The seismic activity began at 10:38 pm local time with a magnitude 4.9 earthquake, marking it as one of the state’s most significant quakes on record.This was followed by two additional tremors: a magnitude 4.4 quake at approximately 10:46 pm and a magnitude 3.1 quake at 11:56 pm. The area, which is sparsely populated, reported no injuries or significant damage from the quakes.
“We can say with confidence that these are related to oil and gas extractions,” said Justin Rubinstein, a geophysicist with the US Geological Survey (USGS) in Menlo Park, California. Rubinstein noted that this recent seismic activity highlights growing concerns over induced earthquakes in Texas, a state traditionally not known for its seismic activity.
Until now, the largest earthquake linked to enhanced oil recovery in Texas was a magnitude 4.6 quake in the Cogdell Oil Field area, near Snyder. The recent quakes represent a significant escalation in seismic activity in the region.
The increase in earthquake frequency is attributed to new oil production techniques, particularly enhanced oil recovery. This process involves injecting water or carbon dioxide into oil fields to push out remaining oil and gas. “Say you have 100 wells in one oil and gas reservoir,” explained Rubinstein. “You take half of the field out of production, inject a bunch of water into those wells, and the water pushes the oil over to the other side where it can be extracted.”
Rubinstein emphasized that while the exact cause of the recent earthquakes cannot be pinpointed with certainty, the link to enhanced recovery methods is highly probable. The Permian Basin, a major oil and gas-rich area in West Texas and southeast New Mexico, has experienced a notable rise in earthquake activity since 2019, coinciding with increased oil and gas operations in the region.
Other recent quakes in Texas include a magnitude 4.4 earthquake reported on April 10 in Martin County, about 68 miles southwest of Scurry County, and a magnitude 4.2 earthquake near Whites City, New Mexico, on Tuesday, which followed an earlier magnitude 3.2 tremor in the same area.
These earthquakes are often linked to fracking and saltwater disposal practices. Fracking involves injecting a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals into oil fields at high pressure to create microfractures in rock formations, facilitating the extraction of oil and gas. The process produces significant amounts of wastewater, known as produced water, which must be disposed of via injection wells due to its high salt content and other dissolved materials.
“The advent of new drilling technologies has led to an increase in the amount of wastewater that must be disposed of,” said Rubinstein. “Now you can make money even though you’re pulling out a lot more salt water.”