Many of us jumped to attention with news of the recent high magnitude event near Mentone, Texas (see some of our earlier blogs on the March 26 M 4.6-5.0 earthquake in the Texas Delaware basin). Interestingly, we failed to also point out there have been at least 3 series of recent U.S. based seismic eventsRead more
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When it rains, it pours! By now you have likely heard of the 5.0 earthquake detected in Culberson county, 175 miles W of El Paso, about 26 miles West of Mentone, Texas. I checked on the population of Mentone – the last update was in 2010 with a reported population of 19, which at the time wasRead more
The number of seismic activities that can be physically felt—those which are magnitude 2.8 (M-2.8) or greater—fell from a monthly average of 162 in June 2015 to just 25 in June 2018. At the same time, oil production grew by 20 percent and injection rates into disposal wells dropped. Recent data from the USRead more
The persistent presence of low magnitude earthquakes in the Delaware Basin, namely in Reeves County, is prompting Texas regulators to enact new policies for reviewing disposal well permits. The Texas Railroad Commission (RRC), the state agency charged with regulating the exploration, production, and transportation of oil and gas, acknowledges that the landscape is about toRead more
Alaska’s magnitude-7 quake on November 30th caused major disruptions in and around Anchorage—knocking out power, shaking buildings and breaking major roadways apart. While there have been no reports of fatalities or serious injuries thus far, more than 1,000 aftershocks have rocked the region over the weekend—some felt up to 400 miles away. Earthquake activity recorderRead more
A magnitude 4.0 earthquake recorded northeast of Amarillo on October 20th has seismologists asking an increasingly familiar question: was the earthquake a result of naturally occurring shifts in fault systems? Or, was it induced by oil and gas activities in the region? Earthquakes are not new to the Texas Panhandle. The region has aRead more
EnergyMakers AG’s Underground Injection and Seismicity Operational Risk Report does a deep dive into induced seismicity—and how fluid injection from oilfield activities and wastewater disposal activities might induce felt earthquakes in certain geologic conditions. According to Myths and Facts by J.L. Rubinstein (USGS) and A.B. Mahani (Geological Survey of Canada), there are four major ways thatRead more