A series of earthquakes rocked West Texas on Saturday, with tremors felt more than 100 miles away.
A powerful 5.4 magnitude tremor struck at 7.47pm local time, rattling streets and buildings.
Its epicenter was located about 35 miles south of Whites City, New Mexico and was initially rated as a 5.3 magnitude tremor before being upgraded.
The earthquake was 4.6 miles deep and rattled thousands across the region, according to the US Geological Society.
Video taken about 200 miles away in El Paso showed the a street being shaken amid the tremor.
It was followed by two smaller 2.9 magnitude aftershocks, although the USGS warned that more could follow in the coming week.
‘Damaging earthquakes can occur in the future, so remember to: Drop, Cover, and Hold on,’ USGS said on its website.
‘More earthquakes than usual (called aftershocks) will continue to occur near the mainshock.’
No fatalities or damage has been reported from the tremors so far, although more than 1,500 people reported feeling its impact.
A series of earthquakes rocked West Texas on Saturday, with tremors felt more than 100 miles away
The epicenter was located about 35 miles south of Whites City, New Mexico
The tremor in Culberson County is one of the strongest in the state’s recent history.
The area is prone to earthquakes and Texas has recorded 17 tremors above a magnitude 5 since 1882, according to USGS.
The strongest of these was a magnitude 8 shake in western Texas.
The number of earthquakes rattling the region has increased over the years and has been attributed to oil and gas extraction.
Last month there was a surge in seismic activity, with a swarm of quakes shaking the western part of the state.
The state is known for its extensive use of fracking, which is carried out by blasting large quantities of water, chemicals, and sand into rock formations to crack them open and release the fuels trapped inside.
Fracking is not usually the direct cause of an earthquake, but the process of disposing wastewater produced through fracking that can trigger tremors.
A 2022 study by the University of Texas at Austin concluded that 68 percent of Texas quakes above magnitude 1.5 were ‘highly associated’ with oil and gas production.
The earthquake was 4.6 miles deep and rattled thousands across the region, according to the US Geological Society
Dr Alexandros Savvaidis recently explained how more drilling could end up leading to more seismic activity in the state.
‘Deep injection wells, in particular, are linked to higher-magnitude earthquakes,’ Dr Savvaidis told KMID. ‘Whereas shallower injections seem to be less hazardous in terms of large seismic events.’
