Earthquake Recorded Outside Big Spring

FORSAN, TX — A 2.7-magnitude earthquake was recorded at 2:06 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, about seven miles southwest of Forsan in Howard County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The small town is located about 15 miles southeast of Big Spring and 75 miles northwest of San Angelo.

Thursday's earthquake was minor compared to recent ones in the area, topped by a 5.1-magnitude earthquake outside Hermleigh on Friday, July 26, that was the sixth-strongest earthquake recorded in Texas history.

A Scurry County judge in Snyder declared a state of disaster later that day due to the ongoing earthquakes, which eventually totaled 103 in a span of eight days.

Some of the earthquakes have been felt far across the region in San Angelo, Lubbock and Dallas.

The Texas Railroad Commission said earlier this week that inspectors are examining saltwater disposal wells in Camp Springs along the Fisher-Scurry County line, about 10 miles east of Snyder.

"In efforts to reduce seismicity possibly caused by underground injection of produced water, several operators in the area have converted deep saltwater disposal wells to shallow saltwater disposal wells within the last year," the agency that regulates oil, gas, and coal in Texas said in a statement.

Disposal wells are used to dispose of produced water, which is water that is expelled from wells during oil and gas production.

The RRC said two deep disposal wells have been shut in, and seismic activity is being monitored as next steps are considered.

The RRC has investigated disposal wells as the cause of West Texas earthquakes over the past few years. It has taken action in northern Culberson and Reeves counties, Stanton and Gardendale, according to a report by the Midland Reporter-Telegram.