QuakeIndex

quarry blast · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml(texnet)

Earthquake near Roscoe, TX

No earthquake was likely felt in Roscoe in the 24 hours to 10:01 am CST (16:01 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 51 km (32 mi) WSW, at 6:28 pm CST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Roscoe

No: USGS classifies this as a quarry blast, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.8 quarry blast was recorded 21 km (13 mi) south-southeast of Roscoe, TX, at 1:05 pm CDT on 12 October 2023 (18:05 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 21 km SSE of Roscoe, Texas

72 km (45 mi) WSW of Abilene, TX

1:05 pm CDT, Oct 12, 2023 · · 0.5 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Nolan County 7 kmMitchell County 43 kmCoke County 46 kmFisher County 53 kmTaylor County 55 kmRunnels County 65 kmScurry County 68 kmSterling County 73 kmJones 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
1:05 pm CDT on 12 October 2023 ()
Where
21 km (13 mi) south-southeast of Roscoe, TX · earthquakes near Roscoe
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml(texnet))
Depth
0.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Nolan County, 7 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1126 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 17 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Roscoe, 21 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: Sweetwater.

USGS catalogues this as quarry blast, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 32.2640, -100.4690. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Nolan County, TX 7 km (4 mi) NE earthquakes near Nolan County
Mitchell County, TX 43 km (27 mi) W earthquakes near Mitchell County
Coke County, TX 46 km (28 mi) SSW earthquakes near Coke County
Fisher County, TX 53 km (33 mi) N earthquakes near Fisher County
Taylor County, TX 55 km (34 mi) E earthquakes near Taylor County
Runnels County, TX 65 km (41 mi) SE earthquakes near Runnels County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 17 km SSE of Westbrook, Texas
  2. 2.0 11 km ENE of Hermleigh, Texas
  3. 1.6 18 km SSE of Westbrook, Texas
  4. 1.7 18 km SSE of Westbrook, Texas
  5. 2.1 18 km SSE of Westbrook, Texas
  6. 1.5 18 km S of Westbrook, Texas
  7. 1.6 17 km SSE of Westbrook, Texas
  8. 1.8 16 km SSE of Westbrook, Texas
  9. 1.7 16 km SSE of Westbrook, Texas
  10. 2.0 18 km SSE of Westbrook, Texas
  11. 1.7 18 km SSE of Westbrook, Texas
  12. 1.8 19 km SSE of Westbrook, Texas
  13. 1.6 18 km SSE of Westbrook, Texas
  14. 1.8 18 km SSE of Westbrook, Texas
  15. 1.7 18 km SSE of Westbrook, 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.