QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.5ml(texnet)

Earthquake near Pecos, TX

No earthquake was likely felt in Pecos in the 24 hours to 4:36 pm CST (22:36 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 3.5 earthquake was recorded 42 km (26 mi) south-southeast of Pecos, TX, at 4:58 am CST on 15 November 2023 (10:58 UTC), less than 1 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 24 km SW of Coyanosa, Texas

4:58 am CST, Nov 15, 2023 · · 0.1 km deep · released about 2.7 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ward County 48 kmReeves County 48 kmPecos County 64 kmCrane County 82 kmWinkler County 84 kmLoving County 87 kmJeff Davis County 103 kmEctor County 109 kmUpton County 120 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
4:58 am CST on 15 November 2023 ()
Where
42 km (26 mi) south-southeast of Pecos, TX · earthquakes near Pecos
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.5 (ml(texnet))
Depth
0.1 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Ward County, 48 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1020 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 Pecos, 42 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: Pecos 42 km, intensity III · Fort Stockton 43 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

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 31.1000, -103.2650. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ward County, TX 48 km (30 mi) NNE earthquakes near Ward County
Reeves County, TX 48 km (30 mi) WNW earthquakes near Reeves County
Pecos County, TX 64 km (39 mi) SE earthquakes near Pecos County
Crane County, TX 82 km (51 mi) ENE earthquakes near Crane County
Winkler County, TX 84 km (52 mi) NNE earthquakes near Winkler County
Loving County, TX 87 km (54 mi) NNW earthquakes near Loving County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 13 km S of Lindsay, Texas
  2. 2.1 8 km ENE of Balmorhea, Texas
  3. 1.7 12 km ESE of Balmorhea, Texas
  4. 1.8 31 km SW of Coyanosa, Texas
  5. 2.3 13 km N of Balmorhea, Texas
  6. 1.6 11 km N of Coyanosa, Texas
  7. 1.9 24 km ESE of Balmorhea, Texas
  8. 3.1 12 km N of Coyanosa, Texas
  9. 1.8 11 km NE of Balmorhea, Texas
  10. 2.1 15 km NNE of Balmorhea, Texas
  11. 1.8 19 km ESE of Balmorhea, Texas
  12. 1.5 17 km E of Balmorhea, Texas
  13. 1.7 12 km WSW of Lindsay, Texas
  14. 1.6 7 km NW of Lindsay, Texas
  15. 1.9 25 km ESE 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.