QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml(texnet)

Earthquake near Fort Davis, TX

No earthquake was likely felt in Fort Davis in the 24 hours to 2:11 pm CST (20:11 UTC). The last one was M 3.7, 127 km (79 mi) NNW, at 4:27 pm CDT on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Fort Davis

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 49 km (31 mi) north-northeast of Fort Davis, TX, at 9:52 pm CDT on 3 November 2023 (02:52 UTC), 5.1 km deep.

USGS: 11 km E of Balmorhea, Texas

9:52 pm CDT, Nov 3, 2023 · · 5.1 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Reeves County 39 kmJeff Davis County 66 kmWard County 78 kmPecos County 89 kmLoving County 98 kmCulberson County 101 kmWinkler County 111 kmCrane County 119 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
9:52 pm CDT on 3 November 2023 ()
Where
49 km (31 mi) north-northeast of Fort Davis, TX · earthquakes near Fort Davis
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml(texnet))
Depth
5.1 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Reeves County, 39 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1078 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 Fort Davis, 49 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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.

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 30.9640, -103.6230. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Reeves County, TX 39 km (24 mi) NNW earthquakes near Reeves County
Jeff Davis County, TX 66 km (41 mi) SW earthquakes near Jeff Davis County
Ward County, TX 78 km (49 mi) NE earthquakes near Ward County
Pecos County, TX 89 km (55 mi) ESE earthquakes near Pecos County
Loving County, TX 98 km (61 mi) N earthquakes near Loving County
Culberson County, TX 101 km (63 mi) WNW earthquakes near Culberson County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 8 km NNE of Toyah, Texas
  2. 1.8 31 km SW of Coyanosa, Texas
  3. 2.3 13 km N of Balmorhea, Texas
  4. 1.9 24 km ESE of Balmorhea, Texas
  5. 1.7 7 km NNE of Toyah, Texas
  6. 1.6 8 km NNE of Toyah, Texas
  7. 1.8 11 km NE of Balmorhea, Texas
  8. 2.1 15 km NNE of Balmorhea, Texas
  9. 1.8 19 km ESE of Balmorhea, Texas
  10. 1.5 17 km E of Balmorhea, Texas
  11. 1.7 12 km WSW of Lindsay, Texas
  12. 1.9 25 km ESE of Balmorhea, Texas
  13. 1.9 25 km SSW of Coyanosa, Texas
  14. 2.2 25 km SW of Coyanosa, Texas
  15. 1.7 9 km N of Balmorhea, 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.