3.2 Quake Rocks Dallas; Can We Expect More?
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IRVING (CBSDFW.COM) — Did you feel it? The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 3.2 magnitude quake in Irving this morning.
Luckily, there's no real damage done until the magnitude is at about 4.0. Humans generally feel earthquakes with a magnitude stronger than 2.5.
So, does this mark another wave of quakes? Prior to 2008, there was only one tremor registered in the Fort Worth area. In January, nine quakes in less than 24 hours were been registered by the USGS in Irving.
Currently, geologists at the USGS are looking into research regarding "induced-earthquakes" - or those events that "may be associated with human activities such as the disposal of waste-water in deep wells," otherwise known as fracking.
In February, seismologists identified a fault line that runs through Irving and into Dallas. The Southern Methodist University (SMU) seismology team said the fault stretches from state highway 114 in Irving and extends north-by-north east to Walnut Hill in West Dallas.
Seismologists cannot predict the number or the severity of future earthquakes; that unpredictability is on the minds of many. Natural causes or human activity such as drilling continues to be scrutinized.
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