QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6ml

Earthquake near Midland, TX

No earthquake was likely felt in Midland in the 24 hours to 2:19 pm CST (20:19 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 35 km (22 mi) ESE, at 4:17 am CST on 4 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Midland

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) south-southeast of Midland, TX, at 4:33 pm CST on 17 February 2022 (22:33 UTC), 9.1 km deep.

USGS: 10 km SSE of Midland, Texas

15 km (9 mi) SE of Midland, TX

4:33 pm CST, Feb 17, 2022 · · 9.1 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Midland County 11 kmMartin County 44 kmGlasscock County 47 kmEctor County 50 kmUpton County 63 kmHoward County 70 kmCrane County 70 kmAndrews County 73 kmReagan County 77 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
4:33 pm CST on 17 February 2022 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) south-southeast of Midland, TX · earthquakes near Midland
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.6 (ml)
Depth
9.1 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Midland County, 11 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1656 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 50 km (31 mi) from the epicentre. In Midland, 11 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: Midland 11 km, intensity III · Stanton 32 km, intensity II · Odessa 34 km, intensity II · Gardendale 36 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 240 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 240 lb of TNT

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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.6 on 2021-12-28 — about 1,000 times the energy of this one.

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 31.9162, -102.0207. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Midland County, TX 11 km (7 mi) S earthquakes near Midland County
Martin County, TX 44 km (27 mi) N earthquakes near Martin County
Glasscock County, TX 47 km (29 mi) E earthquakes near Glasscock County
Ector County, TX 50 km (31 mi) W earthquakes near Ector County
Upton County, TX 63 km (39 mi) S earthquakes near Upton County
Howard County, TX 70 km (43 mi) NE earthquakes near Howard County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 16 km NNW of Midland, Texas
  2. 2.1 19 km NW of Stanton, Texas
  3. 2.0 4 km SW of Midland, Texas
  4. 2.2 19 km NW of Stanton, Texas
  5. 1.8 20 km NW of Stanton, Texas
  6. 1.6 19 km NW of Stanton, Texas
  7. 1.5 10 km SE of Gardendale, Texas
  8. 2.8 19 km NW of Stanton, Texas
  9. 2.1 19 km NW of Stanton, Texas
  10. 2.0 9 km SSE of Midland, Texas
  11. 2.7 19 km NW of Stanton, Texas
  12. 1.9 24 km N of Midland, Texas
  13. 1.5 5 km S of Gardendale, Texas
  14. 2.4 14 km NNW of Midland, Texas
  15. 2.4 17 km NW of Stanton, 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.