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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

Heather DeShon, Earth Sciences, seven million Americans at risk of man-made earthquakes, USGS says

Washington Post Originally Posted: March 28, 2016 Earthquakes are a natural hazard — except when they’re man-made. The oil and gas industry has aggressively adopted the technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to shatter subsurface shale rock and liberate the oil and gas lurking there. But the process results in tremendous amounts of chemical-laden […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

SMU-led seismology team cited in Dallas Morning News story on oil fracking

Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: February 18, 2016 Oklahoma is dealing with earthquakes, so why isn’t Texas? Texas regulators seem to have a tough time finding a link between injection wells used to dispose of hydraulic fracturing wastewater and seismic tremors. A SMU-led study team found a probable association but the Texas Railroad Commission continues […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

Heather DeShon, Earth Sciences, new earthquake map shows quakes continue along fault line found in February

Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: October 20, 2015 On Friday — or, as I like to say, two small earthquakes ago — our local earthquake task force (consisting of U.S. Geological Survey and SMU seismologists and Dallas and Irving city hall-passers) met to get a better look at that two-mile-long Irving-to-Northwest Dallas fault line uncovered […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

“SMU’s seismology team stands by its research and does not comment on public policy.”

Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: September 10, 2015 Five months ago geologists from Southern Methodist University identified two wells used to store wastewater from natural gas drilling as the likely cause of a series of earthquakes around the North Texas town of Azle in late 2013. Now the Texas Railroad Commission is questioning whether they […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

Mystery Booms Plaguing California Residents Finally Have a Source

Science World Report Originally Posted: August 8, 2015 Mysterious booms have plagued the residents of El Dorado County in California for some time now. While some have speculated what the cause of these booms has been, it’s remained a mystery until now. Like Us on Facebook Residents have reported that the booms aren’t as crisp […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

Heather DeShon, Earth Sciences, Inspectors check for damage to shaken North Texas bridges

The Eagle Originally Posted: July 30, 2015 FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — When a big earthquake hits, the world often sees horrific images of collapsed bridges. In 1989, during a 6.9-magnitude quake in the San Francisco area, the double-deck Nimitz Freeway pancaked, killing 42 people. Fifty-foot sections of the Bay Bridge also collapsed, killing a […]

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Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research Earth Sciences Faculty News

State researchers not ready to blame quake on injection wells

Weatherford Democrat Originally Posted: June 17, 2015 AUSTIN – Disposal wells that catch the high-pressure byproducts of natural gas drilling cannot conclusively be blamed for an earthquake near Fort Worth this spring, according to state experts. The Railroad Commission of Texas tested five disposal wells in Johnson County after a 4.0 magnitude temblor on May […]