Thursday, October 20, 2011

4.6 Magnitude Supposedly Rare Texas Earthquake Shakes San Antonio This Morning

4.6 Magnitude Quake 50 Miles South of San Antonio
Texas seems to be constantly shaking from earthquakes.

Yet each time we feel the earth move here in Texas it seems I read how rarely Texas has earthquakes.

In the past few years I have experienced earthquakes centered in all directions all around me.

But, I have not felt the earth move.

I often felt the earth move, at times quite violently, when I lived in the shaky state of Washington.

This morning, at 7:24 am, an area about 50 miles south of San Antonio got popped with what the U.S. Geological Survey says was a 4.6 magnitude earthquake.

The earthquakes that have rattled my immediate vicinity have been puny little shakers. Most people seem to credit the Barnett Shale gas drillers and their fracking cracking with causing the local quakes.

A 4.6 level quake is a bit more serious. If you were at the epicenter of a 4.6 quake you'd be feeling a lot of motion and likely hear a lot of noise.

This morning's Texas quake was centered near the town of Campbellton. Faint tremoring was felt as far away as downtown San Antonio. The shaking was strong enough in San Antonio that a downtown federal building was briefly evacuated.

And once again, the earth has moved in Texas, where earthquakes are rare, with me not feeling it.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I believe the epicenter is in the Eagle Ford shale area where a lot of drilling activity is going on.