Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The fourth-strongest earthquake in the Texas history struck 14 miles north-northwest of Midland last Friday evening in a sparsely populated section of the western part of the state.
The earthquake, which struck just after 5.30 local time, had a magnitude of 5.4. No injuries or significant property damage was reported in the earthquake’s aftermath.
Geophysicist Jana Pursley at the United States Geological Service’s National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado told the Associated Press< that more than 1,500 people over a geographic distance spanning from Amarillo and Abilene in the northern part of Texas to Carlsbad in New Mexico felt the quake.
The earthquake on Friday was the second moderate earthquake to hit the area in as many months after a magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 95 miles west of Midland on 16 November. Midland and the neighbouring town of Odessa are major oil and fracking centres in the Delaware Basin, and the increasing number of earthquakes in the area has been linked to the prevelance of fracking there.
The book Friday Night Lights about a high school football team, written by HG Bissinger and later turned into a television series, is set in Odessa. Midland is located roughly three-and-a-half hours from Amarillo near the Oklahoma border and Big Bend National Park and the US-Mexico border.
There was a minor aftershock following the earthquake, but reportedly did not do any damage either.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments