Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.6ml
Earthquake near Midland, TX
No earthquake was likely felt in Midland in the 24 hours to 6:51 am CST (12:51 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 40 km (25 mi) south of Midland, TX, at 11:59 am CST on 3 December 2024 (17:59 UTC), 6.1 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 38 km SE of Odessa, Texas
44 km (27 mi) S of Midland, TX · 39 km (24 mi) SE of Odessa, TX
- When
- 11:59 am CST on 3 December 2024 ()
- Where
- 40 km (25 mi) south of Midland, TX · earthquakes near Midland
- Texas today
- every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
- Magnitude
- M 1.6 (ml)
- Depth
- 6.1 km below the surface
- Felt
- 1 report · strongest reported intensity II
- Nearest
- Midland County, 20 km N
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 622 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Midland, TX
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Midland, TX. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 Midland, 40 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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
- 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 31.6380, -102.0420. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midland County, TX | 20 km (12 mi) | N | earthquakes near Midland County |
| Upton County, TX | 32 km (20 mi) | S | earthquakes near Upton County |
| Crane County, TX | 49 km (30 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Crane County |
| Ector County, TX | 54 km (33 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Ector County |
| Glasscock County, TX | 55 km (34 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Glasscock County |
| Reagan County, TX | 58 km (36 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Reagan 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.
- 2.7 27 km SW of Garden City, Texas
- 1.6 21 km W of Garden City, Texas
- 2.0 34 km SSE of Midland, Texas
- 1.5 9 km SE of Midland, Texas
- 1.9 7 km SSE of Midland, Texas
- 1.8 36 km SSE of Midland, Texas
- 1.5 24 km SW of Garden City, Texas
- 2.5 7 km SSE of Midland, Texas
- 1.5 21 km SE of Midland, Texas
- 2.0 20 km SSE of Stanton, Texas
- 1.6 25 km SSE of Midland, Texas
- 1.5 35 km NE of Crane, Texas
- 1.9 28 km SSE of Midland, Texas
- 2.1 28 km SW of Garden City, Texas
- 1.9 29 km SW of Garden City, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.