Texas was rocked Monday night by a rare earthquake that prompted thousands of reports across the western part of the state.
Residents reported their homes shook for about 10 seconds when the 5.1-magnitude quake struck at around 7:50 p.m. local time.
The epicenter was identified in Martin County, near Midland, which is 300 miles from Austin, where residents also felt a stream of shock waves.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said Monday’s quake was the seventh largest in state history; the strongest was a magnitude 6.0 in 1931.
Residents in West Texas reported shaking Monday night after a 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck the region.
The USGS reported that the quake struck about 21 miles west-southwest of Ackerly, or 28 miles north of Midland, at a depth of about three miles, suggesting that all residents of West Texas felt the ground shake.
More than 3,600 earthquakes have been reported in Texas since 1900, with more than 70 of magnitude 4 or greater and seven of magnitude 5 or greater.
The 1931 earthquake shook Valentine, causing buildings to collapse, concrete to crack and even toppled headstones in the cemetery.
A smaller earthquake was also reported around midnight in Ackerly, measuring 2.9 magnitude.
And the USGS shows a 40 percent chance of an aftershock of magnitude 3 or greater.
A San Angelo resident posted on X that it was “the most pain I’ve ever felt.”
Another user mentioned that fracking is behind the earthquake.
James Monroe of the University of Texas shared on the platform: ‘This earthquake is now one of only eight recorded in Texas history with a magnitude of 5.0 or higher.
“For a state more associated with oil fields than fault lines, this is a rare occurrence.”
Scientists have been speculating that the recent spate of earthquakes in Texas are largely due to hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, which injects wastewater into the earth to release natural gas for energy.
Fracking involves miners drilling deep into the earth’s surface and releasing high-pressure water that creates a small explosion to release natural gas and oil that can be used to create energy.
The U.S. Geological Survey website showed the epicenter was just north of Midland, but shock waves were felt as far away as Austin, more than 300 miles away.
Texas ranks as the number one state for hydraulic fracturing and was home to 279,615 oil and gas wells as of February 2017, but by 2023, that number had increased to 373,133 active wells.
The action brings groundwater to the surface and when it is injected back into the ground, it puts pressure on faults, resulting in more earthquakes.
“The practice of deep injection of oilfield wastewater, known as saltwater disposal, has the strongest link to the increase in earthquake rates and to the stronger earthquakes that have occurred in recent years,” said Peter Hennings, a research professor at the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology.