QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Pecos, TX

No earthquake was likely felt in Pecos in the 24 hours to 3:35 am CST (09:35 UTC). The last one was M 2.0, 4 km (3 mi) S, at 9:06 pm CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Pecos

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 25 km (15 mi) northeast of Pecos, TX, at 8:59 am CST on 8 January 2023 (14:59 UTC), 8.8 km deep.

USGS: 14 km NE of Barstow, Texas

96 km (60 mi) WSW of Odessa, TX

8:59 am CST, Jan 8, 2023 · · 8.8 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ward County 18 kmWinkler County 38 kmLoving County 41 kmReeves County 49 kmCrane County 77 kmEctor County 78 kmPecos County 103 kmAndrews County 104 kmCulberson County 118 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
8:59 am CST on 8 January 2023 ()
Where
25 km (15 mi) northeast of Pecos, TX · earthquakes near Pecos
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
8.8 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Ward County, 18 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 582 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Pecos, 25 km away, the estimate is intensity II (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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Wink.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.4 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

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 31.5590, -103.2890. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ward County, TX 18 km (11 mi) ESE earthquakes near Ward County
Winkler County, TX 38 km (23 mi) NE earthquakes near Winkler County
Loving County, TX 41 km (25 mi) NW earthquakes near Loving County
Reeves County, TX 49 km (30 mi) SW earthquakes near Reeves County
Crane County, TX 77 km (48 mi) E earthquakes near Crane County
Ector County, TX 78 km (49 mi) ENE earthquakes near Ector County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 23 km SW of Jal, New Mexico
  2. 1.7 11 km S of Lindsay, Texas
  3. 2.0 4 km N of Lindsay, Texas
  4. 1.8 13 km N of Coyanosa, Texas
  5. 2.0 2 km SE of Lindsay, Texas
  6. 2.3 13 km ESE of Lindsay, Texas
  7. 2.2 1 km NE of Lindsay, Texas
  8. 2.1 5 km WNW of Pecos, Texas
  9. 1.8 4 km ENE of Lindsay, Texas
  10. 1.9 12 km WSW of Lindsay, Texas
  11. 1.7 9 km SSW of Lindsay, Texas
  12. 2.3 7 km NE of Toyah, Texas
  13. 2.0 23 km SSE of Lindsay, Texas
  14. 2.3 8 km NNW of Lindsay, Texas
  15. 1.8 6 km SSE of Pecos, 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.