Earthquake In DFW

[kozzy]

According to noaa.com and usgs.gov, two earthquakes occured last night. One at 11:30PM measuring a 2.5, and one at 12:01AM measuring a 3.0. These occured in the Irving and Grand Prairie area. I also located the stories on various news websites this morning, however I do not know how to link them to the forum. If one of you guys would be so kind to do so, it would be appreciated. I didn't place this in the "suburban" forum because I thought it an issue for the whole area. Did anyone feel this last night?

[RobertB]

I don't recall anything, but the DMN has a good writeup: Two minor earthquakes shake Dallas-Fort Worth area (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/103108dnmetearthquake.167675aa4.html)

The FWST has the story too, but it's much shorter: 2 minor earthquakes hit Dallas-Fort Worth area (http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1010221.html). No bonus points for creativity on the headline, though there really aren't very many other ways to phrase it. :)

Apparently, a 3.0 is "like a lightly loaded truck passing by, kind of a sharp jerk and then a rapid vibration." (from a USGS geophysicist quoted in the DMN). I wouldn't have noticed it if it was right under Mesquite, since I'm a block from I-30. The article does note that dogs in the mid-cities, however, were notably upset.

Official USGS info here (http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/last_event_states/states_texas.html) says that the quake was 5km (3.1 mi) deep.

[AeroD]

I blame this on Tom Leppert and Belo.

[RobertB]

According to the USGS, there have been six quakes now, including another 3.0 in Grand Prairie at 4:01pm. Here's a link to the latest: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Maps/US2/32.34.-98.-96.php

Those of you from California may be inclined to laugh. A similar map (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Maps/US2/33.35.-118.-116.php) map centered east of LA shows over 60 quakes in the past week. That's why I don't *live* in California. I can *see* a tornado coming.

[barrycb]

I felt it, but I thought a truck or something hit our building (The Metropolitan). I never considered an earthquake until I saw the headlines the next morning and put the pieces together.

[ancientshoes]

I live downtown and I didn't feel anything.

But I, personally, blame george bush. He has a hurricane machine that he's already used on his own country, now he is using TAXPAYER MONEY to build a earthquake machine. IMPEACH.

[NThomas]

Before I'm taken away in a straight jacket for "absurd ideas" is it possible any of this occurred due to the extensive drilling of the Barnet Shale?

I know the article said no. but...

[kclapp]

the article didn't rule the drilling out as a cause but the representative of devon energy denies it.. but would you expect anything but denial from the energy companies drilling in the area

[jefffwd]

A story on wfaa.com this morning said the aftershocks could last a couple days or as long as three weeks. Let's hope they don't get any bigger... That might not be good for my pool or foundation... :mumbles:

[eirin]

Aftershocks are generally smaller though aren't they? So I doubt it would do any damage.

[RobertB]

A story on wfaa.com this morning said the aftershocks could last a couple days or as long as three weeks. Let's hope they don't get any bigger... That might not be good for my pool or foundation... :mumbles:
I would think that any effects from a 3.0 earthquake would be miniscule, compared to the expansion and contraction of our delightful Dallas gumbo mud.

The neighborhood dogs are going crazy as I type. Wonder if we just had another one?

[NThomas]

I would think that any effects from a 3.0 earthquake would be miniscule, compared to the expansion and contraction of our delightful Dallas gumbo mud.

The neighborhood dogs are going crazy as I type. Wonder if we just had another one?
No, they're just pissed UT lost to Tech...
http://texasholdemblogger.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/charlie_brown_lucy_football.jpg

[aygriffith]

I blame this on Tom Leppert and Belo.

Seriously! Durring the Laura Miller and Ron Kirk years there were no earthquakes... better urban planning could have prevented this!

I've been in two, I was in SF in 89 for the Loma Prieta earthquake and the 2001 Seattle Nisqually Earthquake.

[dfwcre8tive]

Another one today:

Minor earthquake shakes parts of Dallas-Fort Worth; no injuries reported
01:56 PM CDT on Saturday, May 16, 2009
Associated Press
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/051609dntswearthquake.1bc27bf.html

EULESS -- A minor earthquake shook parts of North Texas but no damage nor injuries had been reported.

Jesse Moore with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth said Saturday’s earthquake at 11:24 a.m. came in at 3.3, according to the National Earthquake Information Center.

Moore said he had not heard of any reports of damage nor injuries. Moore said the earthquake was centered about four miles south of Euless and 18 miles west of Dallas.

...

[nrrhgreg]

I felt that one this morning. I live southern Euless and my apartment shook for 3 or 4 seconds. It felt like a really big thunder clap happened very close by, just lasted a little longer. Freaked me out since I had no idea what was going on.

[cmacemm]

I felt that one this morning. I live southern Euless and my apartment shook for 3 or 4 seconds. It felt like a really big thunder clap happened very close by, just lasted a little longer. Freaked me out since I had no idea what was going on.
i live over off trinity and 360 i thought that a car had hit my apartment building at first

[nrrhgreg]

You know, that's exactly what I thought had happened at my place too. I even went outside to see if that is what it was.

[jefffwd]

Same here. I live at Trinity @ 820 and I was sitting at my computer desk and I thought a car hit the house.

[trolleygirl]

I blame global warming...

[xen0blue]

I blame global warming...

I, too, blame manbearpig

[downtownguy25]

I blame global warming...

Perhaps all the natural gas drilling is to blame and the fracturing of rock.

[nrrhgreg]

The epicenter of this one was right across 157/Collins Street from a natural gas well that was original drilled about 3 years ago. So, yeah, I could see blaming the drilling for this one.

[tamtagon]

Or maybe, it just happens every so often.

[CasperITL]

http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/6199/800pxdfwsection.jpg

This image shows what is going on. The Balcones Fault and Ouachita complex run right through the area where the little mini-quakes have been occuring. One can safely say that it's probably a result of the drilling companies pumping waste product back into the ground creating the issues. The Ouachita Foldbelt is all that remains on an ancient mountain range that ran down the west side of what is now I-35. Big mountain range. Rocky Mountain size.

It's interesting that back in the 1800's, people would drill deep wells in Dallas County in Oak Cliff and the Fair Park area and strike oil. For whatever reason no one has every really pursued drilling in Dallas or the river bottoms. Maybe due to the expense of drilling much deeper than you would need to in Tarrant, Denton or Wise. In the 1800's people frowned on digging too deep for fear of hitting saltwater, which would ruin the well and often contaminate the aquifer you were trying to get water from.

I have often worried lately that the once great Trinity Aquifer that rivals that of the Edwards Aquifer in size, has been contaminated with all the sludge from gas well drilling in the area. There are still a couple working wells near Mountain Creek Lake where you can still drink the artesian water from the well tap. Excellent water, best I have ever tasted.

[trolleygirl]

North Central Texas has had a few earthquakes before...

http://www.ig.utexas.edu/research/projects/eq/faq/tx.htm

[tamtagon]

I have often worried lately that the once great Trinity Aquifer that rivals that of the Edwards Aquifer in size, has been contaminated with all the sludge from gas well drilling in the area. There are still a couple working wells near Mountain Creek Lake where you can still drink the artesian water from the well tap. Excellent water, best I have ever tasted.

Thankfully, you're not the only one who's concerned about possible contamination:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/060509dnbusshalereg.3e099e2.html


Legislation could change the drill for Barnett Shale

Friday, June 5, 2009

By DAVE MICHAELS / The Dallas Morning News

WASHINGTON – A drilling technique that made the Barnett Shale into the nation's most prolific natural gas field is under attack from environmental groups and could attract new regulations from a Democratic Congress.

The underground-injection technique, known as hydraulic fracturing, has been used in Texas for more than 50 years and enjoys an exemption from the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. But as drilling rigs spread to shale fields in the Midwest and Northeast, and some people report illnesses tied to methane found in their drinking water, critics are demanding a second look.

Next week, three Democratic lawmakers will introduce legislation to require companies to report any chemicals they use in a mixture that is injected deep underground to break rock formations in which oil and gas is trapped.

... said Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., "This industry remains the only industry that is exempt from one of our landmark environmental laws."

Hydraulic fracturing involves a mixture that is 95 percent water, according to the Independent Petroleum Association of America. The rest is sand and chemical additives including toluene, a petroleum distillate that can be toxic to humans and animals.
...
Rep. Joe Barton, R-Arlington, said ... "I cannot imagine a serious effort to give EPA this authority, because it would absolutely chill the ability to explore these new gas formations," Barton said.

[trolleygirl]

Hmm, big surprise to her Joe Barton scoffing at the potential seriousness of all this. I'm sure he'll say something along the lines of, "people in North Central Texas don't get their drinking water from underground aquifers".

[tamtagon]

^In addition to the potential pollution of the ground water, energy-companies cash cow Barnett Shale has already been proven to be a major source of air pollution as well as future and preventable health care spending:

http://www.star-telegram.com/metro_news/story/1413456.html


SMU prof was right about Barnett Shale pollution
By MIKE LEE
mikelee@star-telegram.com

State environmental officials say that an SMU researcher was correct: Gas drilling in the Barnett Shale contributes about as much air pollution to the Dallas-Fort Worth area as car and truck traffic.

But the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality doesn’t plan on taking any action about chemicals released during gas drilling because they typically happen in rural areas, not in the immediate metro area, where the EPA is forcing state and local governments to control air pollution.
...
Armendariz estimated that, in the nine-county Metroplex area, gas drilling produced about 112 tons per day of pollution, compared with 120 tons per day from vehicle traffic. In a 20-county area, including rural counties, he estimated that gas drilling produced 191 tons per day.
...
Also, she said, "The biggest gas-producing counties in the Barnett Shale are contiguous to D-FW. However, the prevailing winds in the D-FW area are such that emissions from the Barnett Shale are carried away from the D-FW area."
...
A bill to require green completions in the Barnett Shale died in the recent legislative session. Still, Armendariz said he was hopeful. "It is clear that in the future, state and federal regulators will have a more accurate picture of the true magnitude of emissions from the oil/gas sector in this part of Texas," he said. "I hope the industry realizes that the days of venting methane and hydrocarbons to the atmosphere are probably numbered."

[NThomas]

New earth tremor felt near Cleburne
June 8, 2009
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
By Domingo Ramirez Jr. (ramirez@star-telegram.com)
Full Article (http://www.star-telegram.com/metro_news/story/1420944.html)

...A second minor earthquake was reported near Cleburne Monday morning, the second in as many days and the third in the last week, a geological official said.

And since October, the area has had three other minor earthquakes...

...“There are fault lines out there,” Wheeler said. “But most are inactive.”

The earthquake on Monday had a magnitude of 2.3 and the epicenter was about a mile west of Cleburne, according to the U.S. Geological Survey...

...The agency’s Web site reported Sunday evening that it received 27 responses about whether people felt the earthquake...

...“The hazards from Texas earthquakes are low,” Wheeler said. “There’s more danger in the summer heat, tornadoes, winter storms and crazy drivers.”

[dfwcre8tive]

7th earthquake since June rattles Cleburne
10:34 AM CDT on Friday, July 10, 2009
By AVI SELK / The Dallas Morning News
aselk@dallasnews.com
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/071109dnmetcleburne.287b5338.html

Cleburne was lightly rattled this morning by its seventh earthquake since June.

A 2.0 magnitude tremor shook the ground about four miles east of the city in Johnson County just before 6 a.m., according to a report from the U.S. Geological Survey.

...

[PuddinHead]

^In addition to the potential pollution of the ground water, energy-companies cash cow Barnett Shale has already been proven to be a major source of air pollution as well as future and preventable health care spending:

http://www.star-telegram.com/metro_news/story/1413456.html


SMU prof was right about Barnett Shale pollution
By MIKE LEE
mikelee@star-telegram.com

State environmental officials say that an SMU researcher was correct: Gas drilling in the Barnett Shale contributes about as much air pollution to the Dallas-Fort Worth area as car and truck traffic.

But the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality doesn’t plan on taking any action about chemicals released during gas drilling because they typically happen in rural areas, not in the immediate metro area, where the EPA is forcing state and local governments to control air pollution.
...
Armendariz estimated that, in the nine-county Metroplex area, gas drilling produced about 112 tons per day of pollution, compared with 120 tons per day from vehicle traffic. In a 20-county area, including rural counties, he estimated that gas drilling produced 191 tons per day.
...
Also, she said, "The biggest gas-producing counties in the Barnett Shale are contiguous to D-FW. However, the prevailing winds in the D-FW area are such that emissions from the Barnett Shale are carried away from the D-FW area."
...
A bill to require green completions in the Barnett Shale died in the recent legislative session. Still, Armendariz said he was hopeful. "It is clear that in the future, state and federal regulators will have a more accurate picture of the true magnitude of emissions from the oil/gas sector in this part of Texas," he said. "I hope the industry realizes that the days of venting methane and hydrocarbons to the atmosphere are probably numbered."


Petroleum Pollution control laws are all ready in place in Texas, those laws are enforced by the Texas Rail Road Commission.

Ground Water pollution from drilling for oil and gas on land is a remote possibility. The first stage of the well is drilled with fresh water and is drilled to a depth below the water table Generally to 500 ft depending upon where the well is drilled. Surface casing is set into the well and cemented into place. The surface casing seals off the freshwater table from the well. The next stage of the well is drilled to an intermediate depth and more casing is set into the well and cemented into place generally 3 to 4 thousand feet or more depending on the ultimate depth of the well. The last stage is drilled down to the depth of expected oil and gas deposits. If there are signs that the well will produce oil and gas in amounts to support the cost they will set another string of casing into the well that runs the entire depth of the well and cement that into place. Then before any fracturing of the well casing to allow oil and or gas to flow into anulus of the well a 4th string of pipe called production pipe or tubing is placed in the well and set into place with what is called a packer that seals the bottom of the well from the top end and does not allow fluid to flow outside of the tubing.


You have more of a risk of surface water pollution from the fluid that is pumped from the well than ground water pollution from what is pumped into the well.

Concerning the air pollution resulting from the gas production, well light a flare and let it burn off. Then see how many people bitch about the flares burning all day and night.

[dfwcre8tive]

Earthquake insurance being offered to Cleburne residents
07:54 AM CDT on Friday, July 24, 2009
The Associated Press
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/072509dnmetcleburne.70089be7.html

People in Cleburne shaken by recent earthquakes can get coverage.

Earthquake insurance is being offered to residents of the North Texas town that has had seven minor earthquakes since early June.

No damage or injuries have been reported.

KDFW-TV reported Friday that State Farm recently mailed letters to residents recommending they add earthquake insurance to their homeowner policies.

...

[dfwcre8tive]

Chesapeake Energy shuts wells linked to Dallas-Fort Worth earthquakes
01:15 PM CDT on Friday, August 14, 2009
Bloomberg News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/081509dnbuschesapeakewells.1a1b63d.html

Chesapeake Energy Corp. wells drilled through the Barnett Shale, the biggest Texas natural-gas field, may have caused earthquakes in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the company and university scientists said.

Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake shut both wells, used to dispose of saltwater that is a byproduct of gas production, as a precaution after university seismologists told executives June 29 that the center of some quakes lay near the base of one of the wells, Steven Turk, vice president of the company's southern operations, said in an interview.

...

"There is a relationship," Cliff Frohlich, senior research scientist and associate director of the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, said in an interview. "We have not proven it with scientific certainty, but we're looking at these as induced earthquakes."

The well scientists linked to the minor quakes was drilled on the south end of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the world's third-busiest. Studies of the second well and a possible link are continuing. The airport tremors and the base of the disposal wells are twice as deep as wells that produce gas from the shale layer itself.

...

[MarkL2023]

Study Links North Texas Quakes To Gas Drilling
FORT WORTH (AP) ―

A study released Wednesday says there's a plausible connection between a series of earthquakes in North Texas and natural gas drilling...

http://cbs11tv.com/local/Earthquakes.Gas.Drilling.2.1550698.html