QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.5ml

Earthquake near Gardendale, TX

No earthquake was likely felt in Gardendale in the 24 hours to 11:32 pm CST (05:32 UTC). The last one was M 2.7, 47 km (29 mi) ENE, at 2:16 am CST on 1 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Gardendale

This page: a magnitude 3.5 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) south-southeast of Gardendale, TX, at 4:24 am CDT on 22 July 2023 (09:24 UTC), 7.8 km deep. 133 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 10 km SSE of Gardendale, Texas

6 km (4 mi) N of Odessa, TX

4:24 am CDT, Jul 22, 2023 · · 7.8 km deep · released about 2.7 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ector County 20 kmMidland County 35 kmAndrews County 50 kmMartin County 55 kmCrane County 58 kmWinkler County 68 kmUpton County 71 kmGlasscock County 78 kmWard County 86 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
4:24 am CDT on 22 July 2023 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) south-southeast of Gardendale, TX · earthquakes near Gardendale
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.5 (ml)
Depth
7.8 km below the surface
Felt
133 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Ector County, 20 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1140 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 306 km (190 mi) from the epicentre. In Gardendale, 10 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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: Gardendale 10 km, intensity IV · Odessa 10 km, intensity IV · Midland 26 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 2.7 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 63,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.5 about 2.7 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 5.6× 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 5.2 on 2022-12-16 — about 350 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 31.9345, -102.3465. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ector County, TX 20 km (12 mi) WSW earthquakes near Ector County
Midland County, TX 35 km (22 mi) ESE earthquakes near Midland County
Andrews County, TX 50 km (31 mi) NNW earthquakes near Andrews County
Martin County, TX 55 km (34 mi) NE earthquakes near Martin County
Crane County, TX 58 km (36 mi) SSW earthquakes near Crane County
Winkler County, TX 68 km (42 mi) W earthquakes near Winkler County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 17 km NW of Midland, Texas
  2. 1.9 23 km WNW of Stanton, Texas
  3. 1.6 23 km WNW of Stanton, Texas
  4. 2.0 22 km WNW of Stanton, Texas
  5. 1.5 23 km WNW of Stanton, Texas
  6. 1.5 28 km SSE of Midland, Texas
  7. 1.7 22 km WNW of Stanton, Texas
  8. 1.5 23 km WNW of Stanton, Texas
  9. 1.8 23 km WNW of Stanton, Texas
  10. 3.5 22 km WNW of Stanton, Texas
  11. 1.8 western Texas
  12. 2.0 22 km WNW of Stanton, Texas
  13. 3.3 22 km WNW of Stanton, Texas
  14. 2.9 23 km WNW of Stanton, Texas
  15. 1.6 17 km NW of Midland, 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.