Earthquake Swarm Near Dallas, TexasThe Dallas-Fort Worth area has been rattled by 12 small earthquak

Earthquake Swarm Near Dallas, TexasThe Dallas-Fort Worth area has been rattled by 12 small earthquakes (as of this writing) in 2 days; all centered in the city of Irving. There have been 27 of them since November 1. Luckily the magnitude has been less than 4.0; the threshold beyond which serious damage may occur. Up until 2008, quakes were rare in northern Texas.Irving is not the only Texas city to experience seismic activity; nearby Azle was plagued by earthquakes in November and December of 2013. The cause has not yet been determined.Scientists don’t know what is causing the current swarm either. They are installing more seismometers in Irving to help record and locate the quakes; hopefully leading to an explanation for what’s causing them. Some people blame oil and gas wastewater disposal wells; citing recent research that wastewater injection may lubricate faults, allowing them to slip more easily. Others have disputed that argument saying there’s nothing close enough to cause problems. There were two gas wells fracked in the area in 2010, but those are no longer active. Scientists are also looking at the Balcones Fault Zone; a fault going through the city that was thought to be inactive. Some residents have even questioned if the 2010 intentional implosion of Texas Stadium may have triggered the activity; the earthquakes have been centered near where the stadium used to be located.Whatever the cause, scientists say the swam indicates stress in the Earth’s crust that needs to be relieved. Unfortunately there no way to know how many more earthquakes there will be, or how destructive.- REPhoto Credit: USGShttp://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/texas/hazards.phpRead More:http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/01/07/11-north-texas-earthquakes-in-around-27-hours/http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/SMU-Professor-Studies-Irving-Earthquakes-287495641.htmlhttp://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Two-Earthquakes-Strike-Irving-Wednesday-287790001.htmlhttp://news.yahoo.com/texas-seismologists-investigate-quakes-near-old-cowboys-stadium-013729972.htmlhttp://www.lib.utexas.edu/geo/ggtc/ch3.html -- source link

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