QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2ml

Earthquake near Gonzales, TX

No earthquake was likely felt in Gonzales in the 24 hours to 11:29 am CST (17:29 UTC). The last one was M 2.7, 42 km (26 mi) E, at 2:54 pm CDT on 25 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 8 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Gonzales

This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 31 km (19 mi) south-southwest of Gonzales, TX, at 2:40 pm CST on 7 February 2021 (20:40 UTC), 6.3 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8 km ESE of Smiley, Texas

97 km (60 mi) ESE of San Antonio, TX

2:40 pm CST, Feb 7, 2021 · · 6.3 km deep · released about 1,900 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N DeWitt County 26 kmGonzales County 26 kmKarnes County 46 kmWilson County 52 kmGuadalupe County 54 kmLavaca County 63 kmGoliad County 65 kmCaldwell County 67 kmVictoria County 75 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
2:40 pm CST on 7 February 2021 ()
Where
31 km (19 mi) south-southwest of Gonzales, TX · earthquakes near Gonzales
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.2 (ml)
Depth
6.3 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
DeWitt County, 26 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 498 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 190 km (118 mi) from the epicentre. In Gonzales, 31 km away, the estimate is intensity III (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Nixon 21 km, intensity III · Yorktown 29 km, intensity III · Cuero 30 km, intensity III · Gonzales 31 km, intensity III · Stockdale 39 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,900 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 7,900× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 5,600× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 1,900 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2× more

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 29.2370, -97.5560. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
DeWitt County, TX 26 km (16 mi) SE earthquakes near DeWitt County
Gonzales County, TX 26 km (16 mi) NNE earthquakes near Gonzales County
Karnes County, TX 46 km (29 mi) SW earthquakes near Karnes County
Wilson County, TX 52 km (32 mi) W earthquakes near Wilson County
Guadalupe County, TX 54 km (34 mi) NW earthquakes near Guadalupe County
Lavaca County, TX 63 km (39 mi) ENE earthquakes near Lavaca County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

54 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.8 7 km N of Nordheim, Texas
  2. 1.8 6 km NNW of Nordheim, Texas
  3. 1.7 5 km NNW of Nordheim, Texas
  4. 2.3 8 km NNW of Nordheim, Texas
  5. 1.9 6 km NNW of Nordheim, Texas
  6. 2.3 7 km NNW of Nordheim, Texas
  7. 1.5 16 km SSE of Stockdale, Texas
  8. 2.2 18 km E of Smiley, Texas
  9. 2.5 17 km E of Smiley, Texas
  10. 2.1 17 km E of Smiley, Texas
  11. 1.8 17 km E of Smiley, Texas
  12. 1.8 17 km E of Smiley, Texas
  13. 1.8 18 km E of Smiley, Texas
  14. 2.3 9 km SSE of Smiley, Texas
  15. 1.5 17 km SSE of Stockdale, Texas

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.