West Texas declared a state of emergency last week after it was hit by a swarm of over 120 earthquakes in one week. The sequence began with an M4.9 at 03:38 UTC on July 23, peaked with an M5.1 on July 26, the sixth-strongest earthquake in Texas history, and finally calmed on July 29. Four earthquakes registered magnitude 4.0 or higher.
According to Texas Railroad Commission, the earthquakes happened recently in the Camp Springs region along the Fisher-Scurry County line. The area is sparsely populated and no injuries or damage were reported.
Last week, Scurry County Judge Dan Hicks officially declared a disaster as a result of the quakes and urgently requested assistance from the state.
The state is not a seismically active part of the country, but this area of West Texas has seen a significant increase in earthquake activity since 2019. USGS scientists believe this is linked to enhanced recovery techniques used in depleted oil fields to economically extract the most difficult-to-get oil and natural gas.
“We can say with confidence that these are related to oil and gas extractions,” said Justin Rubinstein, a geophysicist with the USGS in Menlo Park, California.
“Say you have 100 wells in one oil and gas reservoir,” said Rubinstein. “You take half of the field out of production, inject a bunch of water into those wells and the water pushes the oil over to the other side where it can be extracted.”
“We think that most of the earthquakes there are induced by secondary recovery and enhanced recovery,” he said. “We can’t say for certain what caused these earthquakes but it’s highly likely.”
The Bible frequently referred to earthquakes as a sign of God’s power or displeasure being expressed through nature.
You have made the land quake; You have torn it open. Mend its fissures, for it is collapsing. Psalms 60:4
The earth is swaying like a drunkard; It is rocking to and fro like a hut. Its iniquity shall weigh it down, And it shall fall, to rise no more. Isaiah 24:20
For thus said the lord of Hosts: In just a little while longer I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land; Haggai 2:6
Rabbi Yosef Berger told Israel365 News that the War of Gog and Magog will include the forces of nature and soldiers of flesh and blood.
“Ezekiel describes a simple war of man-versus-man,” Rabbi Berger explained. “But it would be incorrect to envision Gog and Magog as a war. Zechariah describes a conflict in which nature plays an active role. Earthquakes wrack the land, the sun and the moon change, water flows in different manners, and disease will play a major role. God will take an active role in the war and thunder and lightning will announce His presence.”
