4.5 Magnitude Earthquake Measured Near Midland

4.5 IN WEST TEXAS:

The US Geological Survey reported that a 4.5-magnitude quake struck around 7:55 p.m. Monday night around 11.1 miles north of Stanton, just north of I-20 in West Texas.  While a 4.5 magnitude is considered a 'light' earthquake, it is the second strongest in West Texas during the last ten years, as reported by mysanantonio.com.

EFFECTS OF A 4.5 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE:

Noticeable shaking of indoor objects and rattling noises. Felt by most people in the affected area. Slightly felt outside. Generally causes zero to minimal damage. Some objects may fall off shelves or be knocked over.

WE HAVE EARTHQUAKES IN OUR AREA ALL OF THE TIME:

Just in the past month, there have been 5 minI quakes in the usual Smiley/Nordheim area.  At one point earlier this year, There was a total of thirty-three(1.8-3.3 magnitude) reported earthquakes in this general area that started happening on Super Bowl Sunday on February 7th and going through mid-April.

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WHY ARE THERE SO MANY SMALL EARTHQUAKES IN OUR AREA:

So the question is, why are these happening?  Most people will say fracking. Here is the official response from the USGS. While earthquakes are not directly caused by hydraulic fracturing (fracking). The two are connected. The recent increase in earthquakes is primarily caused by the disposal of waste fluids that are a byproduct of oil production.  How does this cause an earthquake? Wastewater disposal wells typically operate for longer durations and inject much more fluid than is injected during the hydraulic fracturing process, making them more likely to induce earthquakes.