Railroad Commission of Texas activated personnel after a second earthquake within a month of magnitude 5.4 occurred Dec. 16 in west Texas centered about 14 miles north northwest of Midland in Martin County. Commission said its inspectors are examining disposal activity at injection wells near the earthquake in Gardendale seismic response area (SRA). In December 2021 the commission had ordered the indefinite suspension of all produced water disposal in deep injection wells in this SRA. Agency personnel are monitoring seismic data from U.S. Geological Society, TexNET seismic monitoring program and private operators.
An earthquake of 5.4 magnitude occurred Nov. 16 in Reeves County near Mentone in the northern Culberson-Reeves SRA. The 5.4 earthquakes are the third largest recorded in Texas after 6.5 in 1931 near Fort Davis and 5.7 in 1995 near Alpine.