Railroad Commission inspects 5.4 magnitude earthquake near Midland

A 5.4-magnitude earthquake shook West Texas near Midland on the afternoon of Friday, Dec. 16, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.

The quake hit the heart of oil country at 5:35 p.m. Central Time, according to the USGS. People from as far away as Carlsbad, New Mexico and San Angelo reported feeling the tremor to the agency. The epicenter was about 13 miles northwest of Midland.

The Railroad Commission of Texas responded to the earthquake Friday evening, it said in a release Saturday.

Inspectors from the RRC will look at water disposal activity at injection well sites near the earthquake. It said the earthquake took place in the Gardendale Seismic Response Area.

In December 2021, the RRC commanded an indefinite suspension of all produced water disposal in deep injection wells in the SRA. Personnel from the RRC will review permit requirements for injection wells in the area.

The RRC said it will prepare for a response to reduce the frequency and intensity of earthquakes and take necessary actions to protect public safety and the environment.

The National Weather Service in Midland said it’s the fourth strongest earthquake ever registered in Texas.No injuries were immediately reported.

A Twitter user commented on the NWS thread and said they felt it from their third floor apartment in Midland. “It made the dish drainer fall into the sink and my Christmas tree almost fell over,” they wrote.

Another said they felt their apartment shake in Grand Prairie.

“That was actually a little scary,” another person wrote.

It’s at least the second earthquake of 5.0 magnitude or larger in the area in the last month, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported. On Nov. 16, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake hit northwest of Pecos, the outlet reported.

People felt that quake in various parts of Texas and New Mexico as well, including El Paso, Midland and Lubbock, the outlet reported.

Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey says. It replaces the old Richter scale.

Quakes between 2.5 and 5.4 magnitude are often felt but rarely cause much damage, according to Michigan Tech. Quakes below 2.5 magnitude are seldom felt by most people.

Midland and neighboring Odessa are in the heart of the Permian Basin, with a combined population of more than 300,000.

The Midland Reporter-Telegram says the other most powerful earthquakes in Texas were:

• 6.5 magnitude -- Aug. 16, 1931, near Fort Davis

• 5.7 magnitude – April 14, 1995, near Alpine

• 5.4 magnitude -- Nov. 16, 2022, west-southwest of Mentone

Earthquakes occur less often east of the Rocky Mountains but “are typically felt over a much broader region than earthquakes of similar magnitude in the west,” according to USGS.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

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