QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Pearsall, TX

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Pearsall in the last 24 hours. M 2.1, 16 km (10 mi) E of Pearsall, at 1:52 pm CST on 12 November 2026 (19:52 UTC); the estimated shaking in Pearsall was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Pearsall

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 23 km (14 mi) west-southwest of Pearsall, TX, at 8:55 am CST on 29 December 2024 (14:55 UTC), 5.2 km deep.

USGS: 14 km NW of Hilltop, Texas

8:55 am CST, Dec 29, 2024 · · 5.2 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Frio County 20 kmZavala County 47 kmLa Salle County 52 kmDimmit County 61 kmMedina County 66 kmAtascosa County 74 kmUvalde County 78 kmMcMullen County 82 kmMaverick County 100 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
8:55 am CST on 29 December 2024 ()
Where
23 km (14 mi) west-southwest of Pearsall, TX · earthquakes near Pearsall
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
5.2 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Frio County, 20 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 499 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 16 km (10 mi) from the epicentre. In Pearsall, 23 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Dilley.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 28.7830, -99.2900. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Frio County, TX 20 km (12 mi) ENE earthquakes near Frio County
Zavala County, TX 47 km (29 mi) WNW earthquakes near Zavala County
La Salle County, TX 52 km (32 mi) SSE earthquakes near La Salle County
Dimmit County, TX 61 km (38 mi) SW earthquakes near Dimmit County
Medina County, TX 66 km (41 mi) NNE earthquakes near Medina County
Atascosa County, TX 74 km (46 mi) E earthquakes near Atascosa County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 20 km NNW of Fowlerton, Texas
  2. 2.0 9 km ESE of Pearsall, Texas
  3. 1.5 10 km ESE of Pearsall, Texas
  4. 1.7 16 km SE of Pearsall, Texas
  5. 2.3 23 km NNW of Fowlerton, Texas
  6. 1.6 21 km NW of Fowlerton, Texas
  7. 1.7 11 km N of Hilltop, Texas
  8. 1.7 24 km NNW of Fowlerton, Texas
  9. 1.7 10 km SE of Pearsall, Texas
  10. 1.7 19 km SW of Charlotte, Texas
  11. 1.7 9 km SE of Pearsall, Texas
  12. 1.7 22 km NNW of Fowlerton, Texas
  13. 2.3 11 km SE of Pearsall, Texas
  14. 1.5 15 km SE of Pearsall, Texas
  15. 1.7 24 km NNW of Fowlerton, 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.