Magnitude-5.1 earthquake strikes near Midland, Texas, as thousands report shaking

A rare strong earthquake struck near Midland, Texas, on Monday evening, triggering more than 1,000 reports of shaking, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The temblor, initially measured at magnitude 5.1, struck at 7:49 p.m. at a depth of about 5 miles below the surface, around 21 miles west-southwest of Ackerly, according to the agency.

No injuries were initially reported.

The USGS received more than 1,400 reports of shaking. People as far away as Fort Worth — 282 miles east — and Austin — 322 miles southeast — reported feeling the earthquake.

The USGS said in a summary of the region’s contemporary geologic activity that temblors east of the Rocky Mountains tend to be felt for longer distances and do more damage even if they have similar magnitude ratings.

“Earthquakes east of the Rockies that are centered in populated areas and large enough to cause damage are, similarly, likely to cause damage out to greater distances than earthquakes of the same magnitude centered in western North America,” it said.

Ackerly is about 60 miles north of Midland. The area is known for fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, a process that injects water at high pressure into the ground to extract oil.

“There is evidence that some central and eastern North America earthquakes have been triggered or caused by human activities that have altered the stress conditions in earth’s crust sufficiently to induce faulting,” the USGS said in its analysis of the region.

No link between fracking and Monday’s earthquake has been established, however.

The USGS says that fracking can be linked to a small percentage of earthquakes and that more are attributable to wastewater disposal.