Earthquake Shakes Benbrook Area
BENBROOK (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed that a 2.3 magnitude earthquake rocked the city of Benbrook at 1:32 a.m. Sunday.
The quake struck just east of Benbrook Lake, west of Granbury Road.
The last North Texas shake-up was a 3.0 magnitude tremor on Jan. 29 in Azle. No damages or injuries were reported.
North Texas residents have experienced over two dozen quakes since November of last year. A demand for answers from the public ultimately led to the creation of a Texas House subcommittee on the quakes in mid January.
Chairman Jim Keffer named three Republicans and one Democrat to the "Subcommittee on Seismic Activity" on Jan. 16.
The subcommittee was formed after a town hall meeting hosted by the Texas Railroad Commission was held at Azle High School. Frustrated residents who attended the meeting pressed for answers from Commissioner David Porter.
In response, Porter announced Jan. 7 the Railroad Commission has hired a seismologist, to look into the quakes and their relation to natural gas and oil drilling in North Texas.
Many of those affected by the quakes point fingers at "fracking," or hydraulic fracturing. "Fracking" forces millions of gallons of water, sand and other materials underground to free pockets of fossil fuels. The energy industry has repeatedly insisted that the practice is safe.
However, research at various drilling sites around the country has shown that wastewater injections can weaken nearby fault lines and produce quakes big enough to be felt.
RELATED: Earthquakes in North Texas
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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