For 300 million years faults showed no activity, and then wastewater injections from oil and gas wells came along. Study authors took a different approach in the new work — they hunted for deformed faults below Texas.
The Washington Post covered the landmark earthquake research of a team of SMU geophysicists led by SMU Associate Professor Beatrice Magnani in the SMU Department of Earth Sciences.
Study by Beatrice Magnani, USGS and other SMU scientists shows recent seismicity in Fort Worth Basin occurred on faults not active for 300 million years.
In an article contributed to The Dallas Morning News, science journalist Anna Kuchment covered the research of SMU seismologists on a possible explanation for the spate of earthquakes in North Texas in recent years.
The study, Ellenburger wastewater injection and seismicity in North Texas, posted online July 17 in the peer-reviewed journal Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors.
It is the first scientific work to offer an explanation for the Dallas and Irving quakes, Kuchment notes in her article, "Scientists offer possible explanation for how oil and gas activity may have triggered Dallas earthquakes."
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) today released maps showing potential ground shaking from induced and natural earthquakes, including forecasts for the DFW metropolitan area. The North Texas Earthquake Study at Southern Methodist University provided data, and SMU scientists co-authored peer-reviewed publications cited in the report.
SMU scientists and their research have a global reach that is frequently noted, beyond peer publications and media mentions. It was a good year for SMU faculty and student research efforts. Here's a small sampling of public and published acknowledgements during 2015, ranging from research modeling that made the cover of a scientific journal to research findings presented as evidence at government hearings.
Science journalist Anna Kuchment with The Dallas Morning News covered the comments of SMU seismologists Heather DeShon and Beatrice Magnani speaking during the annual American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco, Calif.
DeShon and Magnani presented their latest research on North Texas ground shaking.
SMU’s seismology team was not surprised by the magnitude 4.0 earthquake that occurred near Venus, Texas, recently, having been aware of multiple smaller earthquakes identified nearby in recent months.
The team has recommended to state lawmakers a permanent regional network of monitors, supplemented by portable instruments, to deploy in a time-sensitive manner.
WFAA 8 ABC news reporter Byron Harris reported on the SMU-led team of seismologists whose recent study found that large volumes of wastewater injection combined with saltwater (brine) extraction from natural gas wells is the most likely cause of earthquakes near Azle, Texas, from late 2013 through spring 2014. The study published in Nature Communications. WFAA aired the segment April, 21, 2015.