QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Midland, TX

No earthquake was likely felt in Midland in the 24 hours to 4:50 am CST (10:50 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 35 km (22 mi) ESE, at 4:17 am CST on 4 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Midland

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) north of Midland, TX, at 9:55 am CDT on 3 May 2024 (14:55 UTC), 7.8 km deep.

USGS: 32 km WSW of Ackerly, Texas

45 km (28 mi) N of Midland, TX

9:55 am CDT, May 3, 2024 · · 7.8 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Martin County 15 kmDawson County 36 kmHoward County 58 kmAndrews County 58 kmGaines County 66 kmBorden County 66 kmMidland County 68 kmEctor County 78 kmGlasscock County 79 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
9:55 am CDT on 3 May 2024 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) north of Midland, TX · earthquakes near Midland
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
7.8 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Martin County, 15 km SSE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 917 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 Midland, 48 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 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 5.2 on 2022-12-16 — about 250,000 times the energy of this one.

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 32.4270, -102.0380. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Martin County, TX 15 km (9 mi) SSE earthquakes near Martin County
Dawson County, TX 36 km (22 mi) NNE earthquakes near Dawson County
Howard County, TX 58 km (36 mi) ESE earthquakes near Howard County
Andrews County, TX 58 km (36 mi) WSW earthquakes near Andrews County
Gaines County, TX 66 km (41 mi) WNW earthquakes near Gaines County
Borden County, TX 66 km (41 mi) ENE earthquakes near Borden County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 33 km ENE of McKinney Acres, Texas
  2. 1.7 34 km SSW of Los Ybanez, Texas
  3. 2.0 29 km SSW of Los Ybanez, Texas
  4. 3.2 32 km WSW of Ackerly, Texas
  5. 1.6 35 km WSW of Ackerly, Texas
  6. 1.5 38 km ENE of McKinney Acres, Texas
  7. 1.8 38 km ENE of McKinney Acres, Texas
  8. 2.0 37 km NW of Stanton, Texas
  9. 1.6 33 km WSW of Ackerly, Texas
  10. 1.6 34 km WSW of Ackerly, Texas
  11. 2.3 38 km ENE of McKinney Acres, Texas
  12. 1.7 38 km ENE of McKinney Acres, Texas
  13. 3.1 39 km ENE of McKinney Acres, Texas
  14. 1.5 35 km WSW of Ackerly, 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.