QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

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 1.7 earthquake was recorded 26 km (16 mi) east-northeast of Big Spring, TX, at 7:05 am CDT on 17 April 2024 (12:05 UTC), 7.5 km deep.

USGS: 9 km E of Coahoma, Texas

90 km (56 mi) ENE of Midland, TX

7:05 am CDT, Apr 17, 2024 · · 7.5 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Howard County 21 kmMitchell County 27 kmBorden County 53 kmSterling County 54 kmGlasscock County 56 kmScurry County 57 kmMartin County 71 kmCoke County 72 kmNolan County 74 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
7:05 am CDT on 17 April 2024 ()
Where
26 km (16 mi) east-northeast of Big Spring, TX · earthquakes near Big Spring
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
7.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Howard County, 21 km W
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 594 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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Big Spring, 26 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 89× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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 32.3010, -101.2100. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Howard County, TX 21 km (13 mi) W earthquakes near Howard County
Mitchell County, TX 27 km (17 mi) E earthquakes near Mitchell County
Borden County, TX 53 km (33 mi) NNW earthquakes near Borden County
Sterling County, TX 54 km (33 mi) SSE earthquakes near Sterling County
Glasscock County, TX 56 km (35 mi) SSW earthquakes near Glasscock County
Scurry County, TX 57 km (35 mi) NNE earthquakes near Scurry County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 23 km SSW of Westbrook, Texas
  2. 3.3 24 km SSW of Westbrook, Texas
  3. 1.7 8 km SW of Westbrook, Texas
  4. 1.8 17 km SSE of Ackerly, Texas
  5. 1.5 17 km SSE of Ackerly, Texas
  6. 2.1 10 km W of Forsan, Texas
  7. 2.2 5 km SSW of Westbrook, Texas
  8. 1.5 6 km SE of Ackerly, Texas
  9. 1.7 9 km W of Forsan, Texas
  10. 2.0 22 km E of Forsan, Texas
  11. 1.6 19 km NW of Westbrook, Texas
  12. 1.9 26 km S of Westbrook, Texas
  13. 1.6 13 km SSW of Big Spring, Texas
  14. 1.8 6 km NW of Westbrook, Texas
  15. 2.4 19 km SE of Ackerly, 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.