3.1 Magnitude Earthquake Reported Near Azle Monday

Quake rumbles town hours before town hall on earthquakes

After several weeks of relative seismic silence the ground near Azle began rumbling again Monday,  just hours before a town-hall meeting to discuss earthquakes.

At about 11:40 a.m., the United States Geologic Survey recorded the 24th earthquake to hit near Azle since Nov., 2013. The USGS said the quake was a 3.1 magnitude earthquake whose epicenter was west of Eagle Mountain Lake.

On the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, the quake registered a III, which indicates weak shaking and no damage.

Just two days before, the USGS reported the 23rd quake to hit the area, a 2.2 magnitude earthquake which was also a category III on the MMI scale.

Before Saturday, 22 earthquakes had been recorded in the area since November — 15 in November and another seven in December.  However, the area fell suddenly quiet and no quakes were recorded in Northern Texas for more than two weeks between Christmas Eve and Jan. 11.

Still, citizens and city leaders were curious about the cause.  On Jan. 2, a public meeting was held with hundreds of citizens to discuss the possible origin of the earthquakes.  No single cause could be agreed upon, but the Texas Railroad Commission decided to hire a seismologist to try to determine the cause of the tremors.

At 6:30 p.m. Monday, a second public town hall meeting on earthquakes is scheduled to take place at the Community Center at 404 West Main Street.

Click here to see a Google map pinpointing all Northern Texas earthquakes recorded by the USGS since Nov., 2013.

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