Over the last decade, there’s been a sharp increase in earthquakes across Texas. On tonight’s episode of West Texas Talk, we speak with geologist Peter Hennings about why this is happening. Dr. Hennings is a Principal Investigator and Geology Lead at the Center for Integrated Seismicity Research. He helps run the TexNet Seismic Monitoring Project, a statewide earthquake monitoring system. TexNet has added 22 new permanent seismic monitors to the state’s 18 already existing stations, and is in the process of deploying 40 additional portable seismic monitors in key areas where earthquakes have been detected. This research is a collaboration between UT-Austin's Bureau of Economic Geology, Institute for Geophysics, and Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, as well as SMU’s North Texas Seismicity Study Group, and the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University. Nearly a dozen petroleum companies are also partnering to conduct research and share data.
For information about seismic monitors and earthquakes near you, check out the TexNet Earthquake Catalog, an interactive map of seismic activity across the state.
