QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml(texnet)

Earthquake near Fort Stockton, TX

No earthquake was likely felt in Fort Stockton in the 24 hours to 2:11 pm CST (20:11 UTC). The last one was M 3.7, 157 km (97 mi) NW, at 4:27 pm CDT on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Fort Stockton

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 43 km (27 mi) west of Fort Stockton, TX, at 8:10 am CST on 21 November 2023 (14:10 UTC), 2.8 km deep.

USGS: 41 km ESE of Balmorhea, Texas

8:10 am CST, Nov 21, 2023 · · 2.8 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pecos County 60 kmReeves County 60 kmWard County 74 kmJeff Davis County 87 kmCrane County 101 kmWinkler County 110 kmLoving County 110 kmBrewster 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
8:10 am CST on 21 November 2023 ()
Where
43 km (27 mi) west of Fort Stockton, TX · earthquakes near Fort Stockton
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml(texnet))
Depth
2.8 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Pecos County, 60 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1086 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 Stockton, 43 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 30.8760, -103.3330. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pecos County, TX 60 km (37 mi) E earthquakes near Pecos County
Reeves County, TX 60 km (37 mi) NW earthquakes near Reeves County
Ward County, TX 74 km (46 mi) NNE earthquakes near Ward County
Jeff Davis County, TX 87 km (54 mi) WSW earthquakes near Jeff Davis County
Crane County, TX 101 km (63 mi) NE earthquakes near Crane County
Winkler County, TX 110 km (68 mi) NNE earthquakes near Winkler County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 17 km E of Balmorhea, Texas
  2. 1.8 22 km ESE of Balmorhea, Texas
  3. 2.1 22 km S of Lindsay, Texas
  4. 1.5 22 km ESE of Balmorhea, Texas
  5. 2.0 17 km E of Balmorhea, Texas
  6. 1.5 21 km ESE of Balmorhea, Texas
  7. 1.9 18 km WSW of Coyanosa, Texas
  8. 1.8 15 km SE of Lindsay, Texas
  9. 2.0 23 km SW of Coyanosa, Texas
  10. 1.5 27 km SSW of Coyanosa, Texas
  11. 2.2 26 km SW of Coyanosa, Texas
  12. 1.8 33 km SE of Balmorhea, Texas
  13. 1.6 31 km SW of Coyanosa, Texas
  14. 2.7 27 km ESE of Balmorhea, Texas
  15. 1.5 21 km SW of Coyanosa, 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.