Texas rocked by multiple earthquakes in three hours

Texas was rocked by a series of earthquakes within a three-hour span on Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The strongest quake, measuring 3.6 magnitude, was recorded in west Texas, while two smaller tremors were detected in the northeastern part of the state. This follows a 5.4 magnitude earthquake registered on Sunday, also in Texas.

While seismic activity is relatively common in this region, experts say much of it is human-induced, particularly due to hydraulic fracturing—the process used to extract oil and gas from underground rock formations.

A 2022 study by the University of Texas at Austin found that 68% of earthquakes greater than 1.5 magnitude in the region could be linked directly to fracking.

Dr. Alexandros Savvaidis, a leading researcher on the subject, warned that repeated fracking operations are likely to increase seismic activity over time.

“Deep injection wells, in particular, are linked to higher-magnitude earthquakes, whereas shallower injections seem to be less hazardous in terms of large seismic events,” he told KMID.

(QG - Source:  The Daily Mail — Picture : © Unsplash)