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These weren't major quakes, magnitude 3.6 was the biggest, but no one in those North Texas towns had ever felt tremors before. Now in just three months, between last November and January, 34 quakes large enough to be felt shook homes, cracked walls and foundations, scared horses and pets, and opened a few sinkholes.
Yes, O&G is an industry that is changing our environment. Studies have been done that link fracking with earth quakes, etc. Some of them have been fatal, most are not. It isn't just fracking though, it's any sort of oil practice, you are sucking out barrels of materials and changing the subsurface, so the entire rock sinks to make up for the lost pressure.
Until we as a human race figure out the alternative energy thing it will always be like this, there's really no way around it.
This area is on foothills coming out of the Arbuckles out of OK, with existing fault lines. There have been mini-quakes before, just being jumped on by the anti-fracking nuts.
These are the significant earthquakes (Magnitude 3.0 or larger) in Texas in recorded history: source: Texas State Historical Association.
1811 (8.1) — The first of this series of earthquakes at New Madrid, Mo., occurred on Dec. 16, 1811, magnitude 8.1. The second occurred on Jan. 12, 1812, with a magnitude of 7.8, and the third occurred on Feb. 7, 1812, with a magnitude of 8.0. All three were felt over an area of 5,000,000 square kilometers and were probably felt in Texas, but no verifiable accounts are known.
1847 (3.6) — The Feb. 14, 1847, earthquake was centered near Seguin. Newspapers reported cracked timber in houses at Seguin and New Braunfels.
1873 (3.1) — The May 1, 1873, earthquake was at Manor near Austin.
1882 (5.6) — The Oct. 22, 1882, earthquake felt in Texas, was probably centered in Oklahoma or Arkansas; the total felt area covered about 375,000 square kilometers. At Sherman heavy machinery vibrated, bricks were thrown from chimneys, and movable objects overturned.
1887 (4.1) — The Jan. 5, 1887, earthquake was at Paige in Bastrop County. The felt area was 4,600 square kilometers.
1887 (3.3) — The Jan. 31, 1887, earthquake was at Wellborn near College Station.
1887 (7.4) — A May 3, 1887, earthquake in Sonora, Mex., was felt strongly in West Texas, including El Paso and Fort Davis.
1891 (4.0) — On Jan. 8, 1891, violent shaking of buildings and a few toppled chimneys were reported from Rusk. These effects were evaluated as intensity VI, although other towns in East Texas along a northeast-southwest line through Rusk experienced tornadoes and sudden, violent wind storms producing effects similar to, and in some cases more damaging than, those in Rusk.
1902 (3.9) — The Oct. 9, 1902, earthquake was near Creedmoor, south of Austin. The felt area was 5,600 square kilometers.
1907 (3.6) — In April 1907, an earthquake near Amarillo occurred. Newspapers reported a window broken.
1910 (3.8) — The May 8, 1910, earthquake was at Hempstead. The felt area was 2,900 square kilometers.
1914 (3.3) — The Dec. 30, 1914, earthquake was at Anderson.
1917 (3.9) — A locally damaging earthquake occurred at Panhandle on March 28, 1917. Some cracked plaster was reported and children were evacuated from a school building.
1923 (4.7) — An earthquake on March 7, 1923, caused an adobe house to collapse and led to the suffocation of a man in Juarez, Mex., a few miles from the Texas border. This is the only known death caused by a Texas earthquake.
1925 (5.4) — Another disturbance occurred at Panhandle on July 30, 1925. There were three distinct shocks over a period of 15 seconds. Major problems were the shaking of dishes on shelves and rattling and creaking of furniture. The shocks were felt over an area of approximately 518,000 square kilometers including Roswell, N.M., Tulsa, Okla., and Leavenworth, Kan.
1931 (6.0) — This West Texas earthquake heavily damaged buildings in Valentine. The first shock occurred at 5:40 a.m. on Aug. 16. Although people were panic stricken, there were no fatalities and only a few minor injuries from falling adobe. Even though Valentine bore the brunt of the shock, damage was reported from widely scattered points in Brewster, Culberson, Jeff Davis and Presidio counties. Cracked walls and damaged chimneys were reported from several towns. The total felt area covered about 1,000,000 square kilometers in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. The earthquake was accompanied by rumbling subterranean sounds heard over practically the entire affected area. The shock was strongly recorded on all seismographs in North America and at stations all over the world. Numerous aftershocks were felt in the epicentral region; the strongest, on Aug. 18, was magnitude 4.2 at Alpine, Lobo, Pecos and Valentine. A minor aftershock was felt at Valentine on Nov. 3.
1932 (4.0) — Slight damage resulted from an earthquake in the Mexia-Wortham area on April 9, 1932. Loose bricks were thrown down and some plaster cracked. The shock was also felt in Coolidge, Currie, Groesbeck, Hillsboro, Teague and Richland.
1934 (4.2) — A moderate earthquake affected an area of about 7,700 square kilometers in northeastern Texas near Paris and an adjoining portion of Oklahoma on April 11, 1934. The tremor was most distinctly felt at Arthur City, Chicota and Powderly. Many persons who felt the shock reported having heard a roaring or rumbling noise. Two shocks were recognized by many observers.
1936 (5.0) — Widely felt earthquake shocks with an epicenter in the Panhandle near Borger occurred June 19, 1936. Effects were noted at Gruver, White Deer and outside Borger.
1948 (5.2) — On March 11, 1948, a shock in the northern Panhandle near Dalhart caused minor damage, consisting mainly of cracked plaster. The effects were reported from Amarillo, Channing, Dalhart, Panhandle and Perryton.
1951 (4.2) — The Panhandle area was the center for another moderate shock on June 20, 1951. Damage to plaster occurred at Amarillo and Hereford. The felt region extended from Lubbock to Borger.
1952 (5.5) — This earthquake in central Oklahoma near El Reno on April 9, 1952, caused furniture to sway in North Texas and was felt as far south as Austin.
1957 (4.7) — Four shocks over six hours affected an area of about 26,000 square kilometers in bordering portions of Arkansas and Louisiana on March 19, 1957. Press reports noted that a few objects were upset and at least one or two windows were broken. Newspaper office and police station switchboards were swamped with called from alarmed residents. Effects were felt in Gladewater, Diana, Elkhart, Marshall, Nacogdoches and Troup.
1964 (4.4) — A series of moderate earthquakes in the Texas-Louisiana border region near Hemphill started on April 23, 1964. Epicenters were determined on April 23, 24, 27 and 28. There were numerous additional shocks reported felt at Pineland, Hemphill and Milam. The only damage reported was from the magnitude 4.4 earthquake on April 28 — wall paper and plaster cracked at Hemphill. The magnitude of the other epicenters changed from 3.2 to 3.7. Shocks were also felt at Pineland on April 30 and May 7. On June 2, three more shocks were reported in the same area. The strongest was measured at magnitude 4.2. Another moderate earthquake on Aug. 16 awakened several people at Hemphill and there were some reports of cracked plaster. The shock was also felt at Bronson, Geneva, Milam and Pineland.
1966 (4.1) — The Texas Panhandle region experienced another tremor on July 20, 1966. The earthquake knocked books from a shelf in one home and was felt by nearly all in Borger. Effects were felt Amarillo.
1966 (3.4) — Several street signs were knocked down and windows were broken at Kermit on Aug. 14, 1966. The shock was also felt at Wink.
1969 (3.9) — Four small earthquakes occurred near El Paso on May 12, 1969. One house in El Paso had hairline cracks in the ceiling and cracks in the cement driveway.
1974 (4.5) — On Feb. 15, 1974, an earthquake in the Texas Panhandle caused plaster cracks at Perryton, Booker, Darrouzett and Texhoma.
1978 (4.6) — An earthquake occurred on June 16, 1978 centered near Synder. Windows broke at Snyder, Fluvanna and Peacock, and cracked plaster was reported at Justiceburg.
1981 (3.2) — On June 9, 1981, an earthquake at Center, near the border with Louisiana.
1981 (3.3) — On Nov. 6, 1981, an earthqake at Jacksonville. The felt area of 800 square kilometers.
1992 (4.6) — An earthquake centered in Andrews County occurred on Jan. 2, 1992. Although felt over a wide area, 440,000 square kilometers, only minor damage was reported.
1993 (4.3) — An earthquake centered in Atascosa County occurred on April 9, shaking a home from its foundation in Campellton and forcing a natural-gas processing plant to shut down.
1995 (5.7) — An earthquake occurred on April 14, 1995, in Brewster County near Marathon. There were broken water mains, cracked walls and windows and broken dishes. Broken gas mains resulted in several small fires. Landslides were reported, most notably from the peak of Cathedral Mountain.
1997 (3.8) — In March, in Jim Wells County.
2008 (3.7) — On April 7, near Falls City.
2008-2009 (3.3) — A series of small earthquakes occurred in Tarrant and Dallas counties near DFW Airport, the largest of which was 3.3.
2010 (4.0) — On April 24 an earthquake occurred 13 miles east of Alice near Agua Dulce.
2010 (4.3) — On October 13 an earthquake centered about six miles east of Norman, Okla., shook at 9:06 a.m. The temblor was felt all across Oklahoma, north into Kansas, and into North Texas.
2011 (4.4) — Sept. 11, a short-lived quake hit 11 miles north-northeast of Snyder at 7:27 a.m., rattling shutters and items on tables.
2011 (4.8) — On Oct. 20, a quake centered at Fashing in Atascosa County struck at 7:24 a.m., rattling windows and sending tremors that could be felt throughout Central and South Texas.
2011 (5.6) — On Nov. 5 an earthquake between Oklahoma City and Tulsa shook at 10:53 p.m. Tremors were felt into North Texas.
2011 (3.2) — Dec. 17, an earthquake centered about 5 miles north-northeast of Snyder occurred at 8:47 a.m. Scores of people said they felt the quake, but no damage was reported. It was the third quake in the area in less than a month. On Nov. 24, a 3.0 magnitude quake was centered 17 miles north-northeast of Synder, and on Dec. 9 a 3.4 magnitude quake was centered 15 miles north of Snyder.
2012 (3.2) — Jan. 18, an earthquake near Godley in Johnson County occurred at 4:30 p.m., causing no damage or injuries.
2012 (3.6) — Jan. 24, at 12:21 p.m., 17 miles southeast of Alpine near Big Bend National Park. No damage was reported.
2012–2013 (4.8) — Shelby County. On May 17, at 3:12 a.m. an earthquake near Timpson in East Texas injured one person and broke some windows. It was the second and largest quake in the area within several weeks, and was felt as far away as Longview and Shreveport. On May 10, at 10:15 a.m., a 3.9 magnitude quake occurred. No significant damage was reported. A third 2.7 tremor followed on May 20, a fourth 2.5 tremor occurred in the same area at 1:30 a.m. on May 26, and a fifth 2.1 tremor occurred on June 16. Again, on Dec. 7 a 2.8 magnitude quake occurred in the same area. On Jan. 25, at 1:01 a.m., a 4.1 magnitude quake occurred in the area. On Jan. 29, at 6:30 a.m. a 2.8 magnitude earthquake occurred just south of Timpson. No damages were reported. On Sept. 1 at 4:52 p.m., a 4.1 magnitude earthquake occurred 2 miles west-northwest of Timpson. Two hours later, a second 4.3 magnitude quake struck nearby. Little damaged was reported.
2012–2013 (3.6) — Johnson County. On June 24 at 12:46 p.m. a 3.6 magnitude earthquake occurred near Keene in North Texas. The quake caused some household items to be knocked over and a few windows to break. It was the largest in a series of quakes within several weeks in the county. On June 4 there was a 2.3 tremor near Cleburne, on June 15 at 2 a.m. there was a 3.2 magnitude earthquake near Burleson, on June 26 there was a 2.6 magnitude quake at Alvarado, on July 6 there was a 2.7 magnitude quake near Keene, on July 10 there was a 2.4 magnitude quake southwest of Keene, and on July 13 there was a 2.7 magnitude quake near Godley. No damage or injures were reported. On Dec. 12, a 2.6 magnitude tremor occurred 2 miles east of Burleson and was felt in Tarrant and Johnson counties. On Feb. 25, 2013. a 2.7 magnitude earthquake was reported at 3:07 p.m. near Midlothian. On March 10, another 2.7 magnitude earthquake occurred at 8:47 a.m. near Godley. No damage was reported.
2012 (3.4) — McMullen County. On June 24, a 3.4 magnitude earthquake occurred at 3:55 a.m. near Tilden in South Texas. No damage was reported.
2012–2013 (3.4) — Dallas County. Sept. 29, a 3.4 magnitude earthquake occurred at 11:05 p.m. 2 miles north of Irving. It was followed within minutes by a second quake of 3.1 magnitude, in the same area. The quakes caused some cracks in walls and ceilings, but there was no major damage reported. Another of 2.1 magnitude followed one day later. In the same area, a 3.0 magnitude earthquake occurred the following Jan. 22. On Feb. 25, a 2.5 magnitude earthquake occurred at 6:56 a.m. south of DeSoto. In the same area, just south of there in Ellis County, a 2.4 magnitude earthquake occurred on that same date at 4:35 a.m. No damage was reported. Another 2.4 magnitude quake occurred in that part of northern Ellis County on Oct. 15. No damage was reported.
2013–2014 (3.7) — Parker County. More than two dozen earthquakes occurred in northeast Parker County and across the county line in Wise County and Tarrant County in November through February, the strongest being on Dec. 9 northeast of Mineral Wells, registering 3.7 magnitude. Another, on Nov. 19 near Azle, registered 3.6. It occurred at 6:35 p.m. and followed two tremors earlier that day around noon, the first was a magnitude 2.5 south-southwest of Reno. Six minutes later, a 2.8 magnitude earthquake was recorded two miles west of Azle. The first of the November quakes occurred Nov. 1 near Richland Hills in Tarrant County, registering 2.1 magnitude. On Nov. 5, a 2.6 magnitude earthquake occurred at 8:30 p.m. near Reno in the northeast corner of Parker County, followed by an aftershock. Minutes later a 2.3 magnitude quake happened within 20 miles near Newark in the southeast corner of Wise County. Then, on Nov. 6, a 2.7 magnitude earthquake occurred in the morning southeast of Springtown, followed the next day by a 2.9 magnitude earthquake in the same area at 10:32 p.m. On Nov. 8, a 2.4 magnitude earthquake a mile northwest of Azle occurred. Again on Nov. 9, a 3.0 magnitude earthquake occurred near Springtown. Nov. 11, a 2.8 tremor occurred west of Briar. Nov. 23, a 2.9 magnitude earthquake occurred two miles southwest of Reno at 3:43 a.m. On Nov. 25, a 3.3 magnitude earthquake occurred near Azle at 1:53 a.m. On Dec. 3, a 2.7 magnitude earthquake occurred at 9:44 a.m a mile east-southeast of Reno. On Dec. 8, a 3.6 magnitude earthquake occurred north of Azle. On Dec. 10, a 2.7 magnitude earthquake occurred east of Azle. On Dec. 14, a 2.8 magnitude earthquake occurred southwest of Springtown. On Jan. 13, a 3.1 magnitude earthquake occurred at Reno. On Jan. 28, a 3.0 magnitude earthquake occurred three miles northwest of Azle. On Feb. 2, a 2.3 magnitude earthquake occurred between Benbrook and Crowley. No major damage was reported in any of the earthquakes.
2013 (2.6) — Grayson County. A 2.6 magnitude earthquake occurred northeast of Whitesboro on Dec. 13, one day after another 2.6 magnitude earthquake occurred southeast of Pottsboro. A 2.5 magnitude earthquake occurred southwest of Pottsboro on Dec. 11. No major damage was reported in any of the earthquakes.
2014 (3.5) — Oldham County. A 3.5 magnitude earthquake occurred 14 miles west of Vega on Jan. 6. about 2:41 a.m. No major damage was reported
If you look at a county map of Texas you will notice that there's no pattern in these quakes really to speak of, also, if one per year is considered an increase in frequency, then you have to consider the source of the quakes, and they, although generally in the North East section of the state, are not anywhere near close enough to be considered the result of one man made effort.
The other thing most notable with these quakes is the frequency in which no notable damage is reported, thus negating the claims made in the article about damaging quakes.
Good find; no wander no one believes the anti-anything people now days.
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