Officials from Railroad Commission of Texas have been in west Texas this week after Monday’s 5.1-magnitude earthquake centered 28 miles north of Midland. It was one of at least 50 quakes in Martin and surrounding counties in the last week. The commission told Lubbock Avalanche Journal, “The RRC has been in contact with operators and sent inspectors to the area as part of our efforts to reduce seismicity possibly caused by underground injection of produced water into disposal wells.”
The RRC said it “will then evaluate next steps that could potentially be taken to mitigate earthquakes to protect residents.”
It was the seventh strongest earthquake in Texas history. Tremors reportedly were reported in Big Spring, Lubbock, Midland, Odessa and San Angelo and other cities in west Texas.