Earthquake of 5.4 rattles biggest US oil-producing region in West Texas
- It is considered as the 4th strongest earthquake in Texas state history.
An earthquake of 5.4 magnitude struck an oil-producing region of west Texas, US authorities said on Friday. The quake is considered as one of the strongest earthquakes in Texas history.
As per Bloomberg report, the earthquake rattled parts of the Permian basin. The Permian — the largest oil-producing region in the US — sees more fracking than anywhere in the world. The practice uses water pumped into wells at high pressure to release hydrocarbons from the shale rock.
The US Geological Survey said the temblor had a magnitude of 5.4 and struck at 5:35 p.m., local time. It was centered about 14 miles (22 kilometers) north-northwest of Midland, with a depth of about 5.6 miles (9 kilometers).
As per USGS, a much smaller tremor of magnitude 3.3 followed three minutes after the first shake. No injuries have been reported.
The service had previously issued a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 before updating it. In the interim, the National Weather Services office in Midland tweeted that it “would be the 4th strongest earthquake in Texas state history!”
Meanwhile, this is the second time the West Texas region has been hit by a earthquake in a month. Earlier, on November 16, an earthquake hit near Mentone, which at the time was put at a 5.3-magnitude event.
(With inputs from agencies)
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First Published:17 Dec 2022, 10:57 AM IST
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