The Induced Mw 5.0 March 2020 West Texas Seismic Sequence

On March 26, 2020, a M 5.0 earthquake occurred in the Delaware Basin, Texas, near the border between Reeves and Culberson Counties. This was the third largest earthquake recorded in Texas and the largest earthquake in the Central and Eastern United States since the three M 5.0-5.8 induced events in Oklahoma during 2016. Using multistation waveform template matching, we detect 3,940 earthquakes in the sequence with the first event in the area occurring in May 2018. The M 5.0 earthquake sequence occurred on a ENE (similar to 082 degrees) normal fault dipping similar to 37 degrees toward the south. The earthquake caused 6 mm of oblique surface deformation, and geodetic slip inversion suggests slip was isolated above 6 km depth. We find that the sequence was most likely induced by nearby wastewater disposal operations, and seismicity rates in the region surrounding the M 5.0 will likely continue to increase in the future if disposal operations continue unaltered.

Automated summary

On March 26, 2020, a M 5.0 earthquake occurred in the Delaware Basin, Texas, possibly induced by nearby wastewater disposal operations. If disposal operations continue unaltered, seismicity rates in the region surrounding the M 5.0 earthquake will likely continue to increase in the future.