A 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck near Stanton, Texas in the Permian Basin Monday night.
The US Geological Survey reported that a 4.5-magnitude quake struck around 7:55 p.m. Monday night around 11.1 miles north of Stanton. It happened at a depth of 4.3 miles. The earthquake will go down as tied for the second strongest in West Texas during the last decade, according to EarthquakeTrack.com.
The quake had a 4.5 on the Moment Magnitude scale could be felt across Texas and New Mexico, including San Angelo and Abilene. The USGS took reports from hundreds of area residents claiming to have felt the quake. The shaking, damage and intensity were in the weak to very light levels.
The earthquake is tied for the second strongest in West Texas during the last decade, according to Earthquake-Track.com, topped only by a 5.0-magnitude quake near Mentone on March 26, 2020.
While this earthquake did not cause major damage, it is part of a growing trend around the Permian Basin. On Dec. 23, the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the oil and gas industry, ordered an end to deep-well disposal of the contaminated water that is brought to the surface during drilling for oil and gas.
The Railroad Commission of Texas also stated that its inspectors “will inspect operations of disposal wells in the immediate area of the seismic activity” that took place near Midland.
"Inspectors and geologists have been inspecting disposal activity and constantly monitoring seismic data," the Railroad Commission said in a statement on Dec. 20. "RRC staff have monitored approximately 30 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 3.0 in the (Midland-Odessa area) SRA since December 2019."
The agency stated the deep injections are "likely contributing to recent seismic activity" in the region.
The order goes into effect on Dec. 31 for four counties near Midland-Odessa, which could cause a drilling slowdown for the oil-rich Permian Basin.
Operators in the area, once the halt goes into effect, can either plug their deep disposal wells to an acceptable level, or drill new, shallower wells. Another option would be transporting the contaminated water to a different location for disposal.