An analysis from the University of Texas at Austin Bureau of Economic Geology suggests that a series of earthquakes in Texas were most likely caused by wastewater injection. The study, which included a 4.8 magnitude earthquake in East Texas in 2012, is considered the most comprehensive to date, according to an article from Laboratory Equipment. Still, difficulty remains in conclusively tying the earthquakes to human activity using currently available data.
The study was the first to simulate the mechanics of an earthquake generated by water injection for an earthquake sequence near Timpson, Texas, according to the article. Earlier analysis looked at the timing and proximity of wastewater injection to earthquakes to decide if they were induced by human activity. Texas is among a number of states, including Oklahoma and Kansas, which have experienced earthquakes linked to oil and gas operations. The Bureau of Economic Geology, which is the State Geological Survey of Texas and a research unit in The University of Texas Jackson School of Geosciences, is preparing to launch TexNet, a statewide network of seismographs that will catalog seismic activity with magnitude of 2 and greater.
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