QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Big Spring, TX

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Big Spring in the last 24 hours. M 2.5, 41 km (26 mi) ESE of Big Spring, at 5:05 pm CST on 11 November 2026 (23:05 UTC); the estimated shaking in Big Spring was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Big Spring

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 42 km (26 mi) east of Big Spring, TX, at 6:13 am CST on 1 March 2024 (12:13 UTC), 6.3 km deep.

USGS: 6 km SSW of Westbrook, Texas

6:13 am CST, Mar 1, 2024 · · 6.3 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mitchell County 11 kmHoward County 37 kmScurry County 50 kmSterling County 52 kmNolan County 59 kmBorden County 61 kmCoke County 61 kmGlasscock County 66 kmFisher 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
6:13 am CST on 1 March 2024 ()
Where
42 km (26 mi) east of Big Spring, TX · earthquakes near Big Spring
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
6.3 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Mitchell County, 11 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 544 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 4 km (2 mi) from the epicentre. In Big Spring, 42 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Colorado City.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.6 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 32.3050, -101.0420. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mitchell County, TX 11 km (7 mi) E earthquakes near Mitchell County
Howard County, TX 37 km (23 mi) W earthquakes near Howard County
Scurry County, TX 50 km (31 mi) NNE earthquakes near Scurry County
Sterling County, TX 52 km (32 mi) S earthquakes near Sterling County
Nolan County, TX 59 km (36 mi) E earthquakes near Nolan County
Borden County, TX 61 km (38 mi) NW earthquakes near Borden County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 5 km SSW of Westbrook, Texas
  2. 1.6 23 km S of Westbrook, Texas
  3. 1.6 10 km W of Forsan, Texas
  4. 2.1 24 km NNW of Westbrook, Texas
  5. 1.6 11 km W of Forsan, Texas
  6. 2.8 4 km NW of Westbrook, Texas
  7. 1.8 24 km NW of Westbrook, Texas
  8. 1.9 24 km SSW of Westbrook, Texas
  9. 1.8 24 km SSW of Westbrook, Texas
  10. 2.1 24 km SSW of Westbrook, Texas
  11. 1.8 23 km S of Westbrook, Texas
  12. 2.6 23 km SSW of Westbrook, Texas
  13. 1.7 12 km W of Forsan, Texas
  14. 1.6 19 km SSW of Westbrook, Texas
  15. 1.8 24 km SSW 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.