BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
While San Angelo may be 200 miles away from Central Texas, long-time University of Texas-Austin geology Professor Matt Bangs says Central Texas may not be in the clear when it comes to earthquakes.
"Earthquakes occur because large stress accumulates in the sub-surface," Bangs said.
Bangs says during an earthquake, the sub-sections of the ground are like a rubber band — the more pressure applied while stretching, the more likely it is to slip and snap.
"When that happens, it can elevate fluid pressures and change the stress pressures of the rocks," he said.
The professor says water and other fluids play a big role in causing an earthquake.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration says Texas is the biggest exporter of natural gas in the nation, making up 43 percent of crude gas and 27 percent of natural gas in the country.
In turn, that means more fracking happens in the state.
During fracking, waste water is pulled from the ground and pushed back in, creating more pressure, which in turn, Bangs says it could possibly lead to more trembles.
"Some of those operations can be important but the cause and effect is not necessarily easy to predict," he said.
As for if Central Texas is built for an earthquake, 25 News spoke with the City of Waco's Emergency Management Coordinator Ryan Dirker, who says although Waco may not be an active quake zone, his team is well equipped for any situation.
"Modern building technologies have come a long way, that we'll be stable in just about any situation well beyond any sort of magnitude earthquake that's capable in Central Texas," Dirker said.
