QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2ml

Earthquake near Odessa, TX

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Odessa in the last 24 hours. M 3.4, 197 km (122 mi) W of Odessa, at 3:25 pm CST on 13 November 2026 (21:25 UTC); the estimated shaking in Odessa was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Odessa

This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) northeast of Odessa, TX, at 11:24 pm CST on 12 March 2021 (05:24 UTC), 6.8 km deep. 68 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 11 km NE of Odessa, Texas

8 km (5 mi) ENE of Odessa, TX

11:24 pm CST, Mar 12, 2021 · · 6.8 km deep · released about 1,900 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ector County 26 kmMidland County 28 kmMartin County 53 kmAndrews County 56 kmCrane County 59 kmUpton County 67 kmGlasscock County 71 kmWinkler County 74 kmHoward County 90 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
11:24 pm CST on 12 March 2021 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) northeast of Odessa, TX · earthquakes near Odessa
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.2 (ml)
Depth
6.8 km below the surface
Felt
68 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Ector County, 26 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1912 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 Odessa, 12 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: Odessa 12 km, intensity III · Gardendale 15 km, intensity III · Midland 21 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 31.9180, -102.2757. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ector County, TX 26 km (16 mi) WSW earthquakes near Ector County
Midland County, TX 28 km (18 mi) ESE earthquakes near Midland County
Martin County, TX 53 km (33 mi) NE earthquakes near Martin County
Andrews County, TX 56 km (35 mi) NW earthquakes near Andrews County
Crane County, TX 59 km (36 mi) SSW earthquakes near Crane County
Upton County, TX 67 km (41 mi) SSE earthquakes near Upton County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 6 km SE of Gardendale, Texas
  2. 1.9 6 km SE of Gardendale, Texas
  3. 2.2 6 km SE of Gardendale, Texas
  4. 2.0 7 km SE of Gardendale, Texas
  5. 1.8 15 km NNW of Midland, Texas
  6. 2.3 15 km NNW of Midland, Texas
  7. 2.1 15 km NNW of Midland, Texas
  8. 1.9 16 km NNW of Midland, Texas
  9. 2.4 9 km NNE of Odessa, Texas
  10. 1.5 9 km SSE of Gardendale, Texas
  11. 2.2 14 km NNW of Midland, Texas
  12. 1.5 western Texas
  13. 2.0 13 km NNW of Midland, Texas
  14. 2.4 15 km NNW of Midland, Texas
  15. 2.5 7 km ESE of Gardendale, 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.