Earthquakes continue to rock the Permian Basin

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People felt a 5.3-magnitude earthquake — one of the most powerful in Texas history — across the Permian Basin in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico on Friday, shaking homes and rattling windows.

The quake struck Martin County at 5:35 p.m. local time at a depth of about 5 miles, about 12 miles northwest of Midland, Texas, according to the US Geological Survey.

An aftershock of magnitude 3.3, about 4 miles deep, struck shortly after 5:38 p.m. in the same area, followed by magnitude 2.7 and 2.6 aftershocks about a mile south that struck around 11:00 p.m.

These earthquakes struck on their first anniversary when a series of four quakes of magnitude 3.1, 3.6, 3.7, and 3.3 (in order of occurrence) occurred in northwestern Martin County.

The area of ​​seismic activity falls within the Gardendale Seismic Response Area (SRA) designated by the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC), the regulatory authority for oil and gas development in the state.

The commission said on December 17 that it had deployed inspectors to the area to examine the disposal activity of water produced at injection well sites near the quake.

In December 2021, the Regional Rehabilitation Center ordered the indefinite suspension of all disposals of water produced at deep injection wells in the sub-Saharan region. Personnel will review permit requirements for other injection wells in the area as they prepare to respond to reduce the frequency and severity of earthquakes,” the regulator said in a statement.

Gardendale SRA spans approximately 100 square miles across four counties in the Midland Basin (Andrews, Ector, Martin and Midland). Seismic activity in the area prompted the Regional Rehabilitation Center at the end of 2021 to close deep brine disposal sites that inject brine 10,000 feet below the surface.

Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association, said in a statement that industry operators continue to collaborate with the RRC in response to recent activity at Gardendale SRA.

“The RRC’s inspection of injection well sites in the region is appropriate and should inform, along with industry data, the best next steps forward and guide actions beyond currently approved protocols,” he said. , SRA scaling, and comprehensive data collection and analysis are all available tools. Scientific data confirms that some ongoing seismic activity often occurs after an event such as the one that occurred on Friday night.

The Gardendale SRA is one of three in the Permian Basin currently under close monitoring. After a swarm of earthquakes rocked the small town of Stanton, Texas, located between Midland and Big Spring, the RRC designated the area around Stanton as the SRA.

In the aftermath of the 5.4-magnitude earthquake that occurred in mid-November in North Culberson-Reeves SRA, the Rapid Response Center implemented a revised response plan. Regulators expanded the SRA from 2,366 to 2,601 square miles to include more disposal wells and modified the plan to further reduce injection volumes.

“Operators committed to meeting the original deep disposal volume target of 298,000 bpd three months ago and achieving a new target of 162,000 bpd by June 30, 2023. This represents a 68% reduction in disposal volume compared to January 2022 before the plan began. The agency said in November. November, indicating that the potential time lag between changes in injection rates and changes in seismicity varies, with historical activity suggesting a potential lag of 12-18 months.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, with residents reporting that the quake was felt as far north as Lubbock and as far west as Roswell, New Mexico.

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