Small Earthquake Hits North Texas
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - A small earthquake hit the mid-cities area of North Texas near DFW International Airport late Tuesday night, shaking homes and setting residents of Irving, Euless and far Northeast Fort Worth on edge.
The magnitude 3.0 earthquake hit around 10:16 local time, and was roughly 10 miles below the surface.
>>See an Interactive Map of Earthquakes Since 1973<<
There were no reports of any injuries or any reports of damage to nearby business.
There were also no reports of the quake impacting operations at the airport, which is located roughly one mile from the plotted epicenter.
Read more information on the earthquake at the US Geological Survey website.
Opponents to the fracking industry, operating in Tarrant County, say the relationship between these small earthquakes and the gas industry is obvious.
"There is obviously a direct connection," says Don Young from FWCANDO.org. "I guess they continue to deny it because of fear of lawsuits."
From 1973 to 2007, when the USGS started keeping records, there were only two earthquakes of 3.0 magnitude or higher.
Since 2008, when fracking started in earnest in the metroplex, there have been eleven.
The pattern shows itself even more when looking at smaller earthquakes, starting at magnitude 2.0.
In that period leading up to fracking, there were three. Since 2008, there have been 54.
During the same 34-year period before fracking, no earthquakes between 2.0 and 3.0 were reported in DFW.
But with no absolute proof of a connection between fracking and earthquakes, studies are still going on.
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