Earthquake strikes Cleburne again, mayor concerned

This is my thread from June 10th about Earthquakes at Cleburne..
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Link Seismic Activity - This do not look nice !
Tectonic activity map

This is from today June 29th and is not the first areas Ive noticed that have quakes with about a month inbetween, is something brewing ???

Link Here ..

CLEBURNE, TX
The ground shook, windows rattled and the North Texas town of Cleburne was dealt its sixth earthquake in less than a month.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the 10:30 p.m. Friday tremor registered a 2.2-magnitude and was centered about four miles east of the city.
Two other small tremors were felt in May, and three others hit the area in early June, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Cleburne officials are working with researchers from Southern Methodist University to determine if nearby gas drilling is causing the quakes.

We see here that it was quakes in May and Early June also.

Source WFAA Link

FORT WORTH — Cleburne Mayor Ted Reynolds says he has some concerns after his community was hit by nine small earthquakes since May 16 — the most recent a 2.2 magnitude tremor late on Friday night.

"For the residents, it's probably more of a curiosity than anything else," he said, but added that there's an earthen dam at Lake Pat Cleburne that provides the city's water supply.

"We also have some old cast iron water and gas lines in our city," Reynolds said. "We just want to make sure that they're still safe."

SMU geologists have set up a series of portable seismic stations to monitor the underground rumblings, the most powerful of which was a 3.3 magnitude tremor recorded on May 16.

"I'm sure they got some preliminary data from the quake Friday night," Reynolds said. "I don't know exactly when that data will be available, but hopefully it'll really help us."

Reynolds acknowedged that some experts say natural gas well drilling could be contributing to the instability, while others dismiss any connection.

"We're probably just going to have to wait and see what information that the SMU folks get us, and then we'll just go from there," Reynolds said.

One can not help thinking about the earthquake in Rome where an local Siesmologist posted warnings on internet and which was taken down by the local politicians there becuase they meant he was creating Panic.!

[edit on 29-6-2009 by ChemBreather]

[edit on 29-6-2009 by ChemBreather]

reply to post by ChemBreather


Well, glad you are on top of things Chembreather. I live just twenty miles east and as usual felt nothing.

Nine earthquakes in month, although minor, when then have been none in 150 years, clearly speaks to the drilling being done in this area in the last few years as the cause. That is not to mention earthquakes near the size of the largest cleburne quake in the Tarrant county area in the last year.

This after the quake that hit on the Dallas Tarrant (officially Tarrant County) county line in November 2008.

This area gets small quakes about every 10 years, said John Ferguson, a geosciences professor at the University of Texas at Dallas. Sixteen years ago, there was a similar event near Commerce. And in 1985, there was one near Valley View.

Dallas morning news

This from a blog site dated June 16, 2009. I have not verified this but I can attest to the fact there have been many more than usual.

More earthquakes have happened in North Texas since last October than in the previous three decades combined, according to the USGA data.

source

This may also be of interest. It is the barnett shale where Cheasapeak is doing the drilling. Barnett Shale Maps

Fortunately these quakes are minor and it is highly unlikely the people in this area are going to give up their income for a few minor quakes. My sister and husband have 6 acres and until the recent downturn in prices coinciding with their contract renewal, they were getting 500 dollars per acre per month or 36,000 per year. Not to mention people area has set 27,500 dollars an acre to sign after so many were being low balled.

So, unless they get very much larger and the minor stake holders (which are the majority) have real concerns, I see this as likely to continue.

It does bring attention to the fact that our drilling is effecting the earths stability, I think.

Something could be brewing, but its unlikely. The reason being that smaller tremors, release some of the energy from the tectonic plates grinding against each other, meaning a bigger slip is less likely to occur in the near future.

However, this is not always the case.

Considering there have been several small quakes, Im wondering if the area is prone to "quake swarms"?

reply to post by OzWeatherman

You may be right but consider this

In recent years, 170 gas wells have sprouted within the Cleburne city limits, although most are in industrial or commercial areas near the outskirts. Johnson County has nearly 2,000 gas wells.

Other counties, including Tarrant and Denton, have similar numbers of gas wells, but Cleburne has one of the densest concentrations in the area.

In all, 18 mild earthquakes have been detected in North Texas since late October, including tremors in Euless, Irving, Grand Prairie and Dallas.

The tremors were said to originate from 3 miles below the ground, while most of the drilling is occurring at about a 1-mile depth.

Dr. Larry Standlee, a geologist at the University of Texas at Arlington, also plans to do computer modeling based on the seismic data.

"Something is going on – exactly what, I'm not sure," Standlee said.

Dallas News

I have always wondered if drilling effected earthquakes but never put any consideration into it until this. Granted the drilling is at a lesser depth than the quakes, it doesn't mean than it is not disrupting the earth.

I have found nothing with any reference to tectonic plates in Texas but that doesn't mean they aren't there and just to insignificant to discuss.

It would be interesting to study earthquakes in other areas that have this much drilling.



edit for source

[edit on 29-6-2009 by liveandlearn]

Nice digging boyz ! But Im keeping an eye on it !

What I cant figure out, is why the Mayor is concerned and hires seismologists to the area if it is just from the drilling ?

And this last time the mayor issued an Waringing for Concern....

Time Will Tell ...