4.4 Eq in West Texas? What's going on here?

Originally posted by Jerisa
reply to post by marzabeth

 

My bro-in-law works out west (Alberta) in the fraking industry. You bet your boots they go deeper than 6 miles!

Interesting. I would like to know more about this.

Someone mentioned that it is illegal to drill in such a manner. Is this true?

I have witnessed with my own eyes the corporations dumping fracking waste materials 1 month before allowed by law, at 3am in the morning (this year).

So I know they don't play by the rules, and they are willing to take huge risks without due process or allowing the voice of the people (local government) to have any say in the matter.

100% of the local population voted no. They did it anyway, 1 month before they said they would. At 3am at night....every night. Multiple trucks. Still do, and will for over 2+ years.

So you can realize I am open to your suggestions. However I would like to know more about any details in relation to this practice that you may know of.

Originally posted by Wyn Hawks

Originally posted by marzabeth
Interesting, they are all in the same (nearly exact) geological spot 32.8 degrees north by 100 degrees west.

...not really - if you understand what the llano estacado is...

Llano Estacado.org

Tons of links to information there.

wiki page

Good search phrase "llano estacado map" , check images filter.


Wyn : would you mind explaining to us what features about the Llano Estacado explain today's 4.4 and resulting after-shocks? I would be interested to hear your hypothesis and review the corresponding data. Thank you.

emsc-csem

This website lists this mornings original quake as 4.8

That's interesting how it differs by .4 from usgs to this website. It may not seem like much but it is a sizable increase actually between the two magnitudes 4.4 and 4.8.

Correct me if I am wrong here but this appears to be one of the if not the largest quake so far today (since it happened this morning) globally. That's amazing. The whole list of quakes is smaller than the Tx quake on that link.

I never would have thought that was even possible considering the specifics here.

I checked out the list for latest quakes on the USGS and West Texas is indeed the sight of one of the largest quakes today...look at the depths though...They are so much shallower for Texas than anywhere else.

earthquake.usgs.gov...

Fracking also uses a ton of water I do believe. Mix that with our drought, all the fires. Texas isnt doing so well.

I have a fondness for Texas...I have family in Forestburg. Some of the nicest people I've met were from Texas. It's terrible what's happening there.

I live in Lubbock and I didnt feel anything today lol. the air has been weird cause of 9-11 and all but nothing else

reply to post by Aggie Man


Perhaps you would like to explain the logic behind that?

The margin for error on the depth allows for anywhere between 2.1 miles and 10.8 miles, which really says they have not got a clue and in addition to that why do you assume that an induced earthquake will happen at the drilling depth? As far as I can see there is no single case where this happens with the ruptures being variable.

Considering that, if you look on Google Earth, you can see the area is peppered with wells - and yes fracking wells right next to the quakes - I would say it was very likely this is induced by high pressure injection.

When you inject fluids into the strata you lube the area so any potential faults are better able to release the stress. The actual rupture may not be exactly where the well is being drilled.

It does appear this area has had some activity before. This is a list of 30km radius around the 4.4 event.

Year,Month,Day,Time(hhmmss.mm)UTC,Latitude,Longitude,Magnitude,Depth,Catalog
1977,06,07,230120.40, 33.058,-100.749,4.0, 5,PDE
1977,11,28,014050.50, 32.954,-100.837,3.5, 5,PDE
1978,06,16,114654.20, 33.030,-100.766,5.3, 10,PDE
1979,07,05,010501 , 32.949,-100.895,2.7, 4,PDE
1982,04,26,083147.79, 33.021,-100.844,2.8, 5,PDE
1982,11,28,023648.51, 33.003,-100.842,3.3, 5,PDE
2006,08,12,104909.67, 32.895,-100.894,2.8, 5,PDE
2008,01,29,102453.24, 32.898,-100.842,3.3, 5,PDE
2008,07,18,173109.40, 32.891,-100.842,2.7, 5,PDE
2008,07,18,203841.78, 32.849,-100.771,2.7, 5,PDE
2010,01,27,045933.05, 32.902,-100.833,3.1, 5,PDE
2010,03,28,210723.16, 33.057,-100.743,2.7, 5,PDE-W
2010,04,12,002005.97, 32.935,-100.875,2.8, 5,PDE-W
2010,08,08,011238.07, 32.896,-100.851,3.4, 5,PDE-W
2010,08,25,020514.32, 32.951,-100.861,2.8, 5,PDE-W
2010,08,29,124836.61, 32.912,-100.916,2.6, 5,PDE-W
2010,10,09,074227.63, 32.929,-100.886,3.1, 5,PDE-W
2010,10,26,065629.79, 32.922,-100.850,3.1, 5,PDE-W
2010,11,01,091058.42, 32.996,-100.816,2.8, 5,PDE-W
2011,03,01,033012.76, 32.876,-100.839,3.1, 5,PDE-W
2011,03,01,063159.89, 32.839,-100.802,2.5, 5,PDE-W
2011,03,12,152200.86, 32.882,-100.896,3.0, 5,PDE-W
2011,03,13,201620.62, 32.995,-100.767,3.8, 5,PDE-W
2011,03,14,001948.80, 32.964,-100.809,3.0, 5,PDE-W
2011,03,19,233401.21, 32.978,-100.766,3.0, 5,PDE-W
2011,03,28,091211.95, 32.913,-100.816,3.0, 5,PDE-W
2011,04,02,220514.09, 33.059,-100.761,3.0, 5,PDE-Q
2011,04,25,165631.88, 32.822,-100.844,2.5, 5,PDE-Q
2011,05,02,190714.99, 33.064,-100.790,3.9, 5,PDE-Q
2011,07,14,102913.60, 32.928,-100.806,2.5, 5,PDE-Q

Source

If we count the events up to 2008 as probably normal for the area, then you need to check and see if drilling started 2007/2008 or thereabouts.

My 2c says this is very probably injection induced.

reply to post by PuterMan


So you are suggesting that the reported depth is an estimate and it's margin of error can be large.

Interesting.

Also, do you know what explanations were provided for the list of quakes over the last few years in that location? None of them were as large as 4. or higher, which is interesting.

Do you think that past quake activity could 'loosen up' the area and allow for larger quakes later on? Is this a possibility that we may be witnessing coalesce?

reply to post by muzzleflash


Well ALL earthquake depths are estimates, as indeed are magnitudes. Seismology is not as exact a science as some seem to think. For example EMSC has the 4.4 at 4.8

Magnitude M 4.8
Region WESTERN TEXAS
Date time 2011-09-11 12:27:45.0 UTC
Location 32.86 N ; 100.74 W
Depth 15 km
Distances 104 km NW Abilene (pop 114,247 ; local time 07:27:45.0 2011-09-11)
24 km NE Snyder (pop 10,600 ; local time 07:27:45.0 2011-09-11)

www.emsc-csem.org...

Unfortunately they use a very inexact magnitude scale of 'M' which really is meaningless. Looking at the EMSC phase data I can see why. They don't show one single magnitude which is very unusual. Looking at the USGS phase data I would say EMSC is possibly nearer the mark and I would not be surprised to see this go to 4.6 Mb once it is off the 7 day lists and everyone has forgotten about it.

By the way it has been very hot in Texas hasn't it. Do you happen to know if this has affected the water table substantially? That may also produce earthquakes.

Sorry, it is late here now so I will look in tomorrow.

ETA:

Do you think that past quake activity could 'loosen up' the area and allow for larger quakes later on?

In short no. If this is injection induced there are as far as I know not incident of very much larger quakes from this. It also does not seem historically that this is an area that would support such but with large scale gas extraction, aquifer depletion etc who knows. The US is one big shale basin and shale is not exactly what you would call 'solid rock'. This is why you have so much gas and oil (Bakker) mainly all produced abiotically and not from dead dinosaurs and ferns - stupid idea that. Abiotic oil is real and proven in the labs. So much more that just that but no time right now.

reply to post by PuterMan


It is very hot in Texas. Most areas are under rationing of one form or another. I am near Houston. The city normally gets its water from Lake Houston but also has rights to Lake Conroe. They have recently starting pumping water from Conroe to Lake Houston because it was almost dry.

In our area many are losing their wells or having to have the pumps lowered because of water levels declining. We haven't even tried to save our grass. I would rather have my water for the people and animals than have a pretty yard.

I think PuterMan is spot on with this one. Do you remember January of this year when we had the massive bird die off in Arkansas? They also had numerous quakes in their area due to fracking. This is a little off topic but that incident is how I found ATS. I was amazed that this was going on, I had no idea that anything like this was possible. Since then I've learned quite a bit about this world we live in (thank you ATSers) and to say that I question almost everything now would be an understatement. In fact, at the same time the birds were dying in Arkansas there were birds falling out of the sky in Texas as well. Seems there must be a correlation between the two. Fracking and the birds I mean.

There's a 2.8 listed at 7:30

Link

That's four now.

Originally posted by muzzleflash
Wyn : would you mind explaining to us what features about the Llano Estacado explain today's 4.4 and resulting after-shocks? I would be interested to hear your hypothesis and review the corresponding data. Thank you.

...yikes!... ...hypothesis?... ...corresponding data?...

...i'm not a geologist or a scientist and i'm too full of supper to wade thru a bunch of crap online to validate whatever my somewhat crusty memory recalls... so take my comments with a box of salt and a keg of shiners...

...what makes mountains?... plate lift...

...whats a side effect of plate lift or shift?... quakes...

...at one time, most of the western part of the usofa was under water... a 100 million years ago (at least), uplift of plates began to force the rocky mountains above sea level...

...somewhere around 70 million years ago, the llano estacado was created due to run-off from the rocky mountains... (run off from the rockies is also what caused the grand canyon)... the llano estacado grew tall and wide as run-off gorges deepened and sediment piled up against the caprock...

...when a plates lifts / moves under the rocky mountains, it stands to reason that the movement can extend to the areas far underground around the rockies because we're not talking about dinner plates... Earth's plates are massive...

...up here on the surface, in some places, it looks like the rockies are far away from the llano estacado but underground its all connected and interactive...

...how can a little sneeze cause you to fart?... same deal - sorta kinda...

how far away should a quake like this be felt? Im currently in Clovis NM and never noticed anything nor did i hear anything about it until i found this thread.

We have had a 4.4 at 7:30ish, a 2.5 at 1:30ish, and a 2.6 at 3:30ish.

I was awoken by the first one. My bedroom is below ground, and i was woke up by a deep, rumbling, pulsing sound that lasted a couple of minutes. This was at 7:41, about the time I would expect such sound waves to make it to my house from the Snyder area.

But this isn't anything new. We have had quakes out this way as long as I remember. When i was a kid one out in Monahans was big enough that we felt it in Coahoma. If you know where those two towns are, you are a true West Texan.

reply to post by muzzleflash


I think that it is simple: we have fault lines out this way. We have also had frac drilling..but that won't really do too much here. Regardless, it may have made the fault lines a little less stable, who knows.

Regardless, along with our fault lines, we also have a massive loss of ground water. Near where this earthquake happened we have a VERY large water reservoir that has just been declared "empty". It is one of 3 that feed water into my town, and the only one that fed Snyder. In short, Snyder is screwed.

But with the loss of all that water, you have a loss of immense weight from the ground. Release the weight, change the dynamics of the fault line. Then you have a minor quake as it slips a little to adjust to the loss of weight on the surface.

At least, that is a decent theory based on a real event that has recently occured in that area.

reply to post by muzzleflash


I guess if we all don't burn to death here, the earth is going to open up and take us.

Update:

Another aftershock, and this is not a repeat of the 7pm one linked just above, this one is newer.

2.3 - at 9:30 pm local time.

USGS Link

That's the fourth notable after-shock, bringing the total to 5 notable quakes from this region within 24hours.

It appears the activity is slowly moving southwards. Anyone have any ideas what this southward movement may indicate?

To go off topic a bit, there was just a 5.1 in Taiwan but that's quite normal for that location and they are used to quakes happening. They have also prepared and built their structures to withstand quakes upwards to 8 mag from what I have read. Taipai 101 can take a massive quake without suffering much damage. That's why the Taiwan quake although slightly larger is not really notable or out of the ordinary. However this West-Central Texas quake activity is rather anomalous in comparison.

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan
When i was a kid one out in Monahans was big enough that we felt it in Coahoma. If you know where those two towns are, you are a true West Texan.

Well than you know about the sand dunes.

I used to go out there as a kid and teenager and mess around with my friends. Fun times.

I am from a real desert with real sand dunes.

Photo of the "Desert" if anyone is interested