City of Dallas releases SMU preliminary earthquake study

DALLAS -- The cities of Irving and Dallas have reviewed the findings of Southern Methodist University (SMU) regarding recent earthquakes in North Texas. According to SMU, the epicenters are confined to an area extending from TX Highway 114 to Walnut Hill Road, along the Trinity River. The new earthquake locations extend the source area through parts of Irving and west Dallas.

Most of the earthquakes appear to be under the Fort Worth Basin; however SMU says the location may be off by about half a mile and seismologists stress the need for additional research. These earthquakes are shallow in nature, and seismologists could not conclude whether the quakes were natural or related to gas well drilling.

“We value the time and resources the SMU team has invested in helping us understand the recent earthquakes,” said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. “The working group will discuss these findings and let us know what the next steps should be.”

The university has been working with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to pinpoint more accurate locations for the recent earthquake swarm. The working group is comprised of the cities of Irving, Dallas, SMU, USGS and the Texas Railroad Commission. The group is scheduled to discuss the recent report on Friday, Feb. 13.