QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.6ml

Earthquake near Karnes City, TX

No earthquake was likely felt in Karnes City in the 24 hours to 11:41 pm CST (05:41 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 37 km (23 mi) W, at 1:55 am CDT on 20 October 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Karnes City

This page: a magnitude 4.6 earthquake was recorded 20 km (12 mi) north-northeast of Karnes City, TX, at 9:26 pm CST on 29 January 2025 (03:26 UTC), 6.8 km deep. 807 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 18 km ENE of Falls City, Texas

80 km (50 mi) SE of San Antonio, TX

9:26 pm CST, Jan 29, 2025 · · 6.8 km deep · released about 120 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Karnes City Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Karnes County 17 kmWilson County 27 kmDeWitt County 47 kmGonzales County 57 kmGuadalupe County 59 kmGoliad County 60 kmAtascosa County 70 kmBee County 72 kmBexar 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
9:26 pm CST on 29 January 2025 ()
Where
20 km (12 mi) north-northeast of Karnes City, TX · earthquakes near Karnes City
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 4.6 (ml)
Depth
6.8 km below the surface
Felt
807 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Measured shaking
intensity V (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Karnes County, 17 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 55 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 641 km (398 mi) from the epicentre. In Karnes City, 20 km away, the estimate is intensity V (moderate). 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.

Likely felt in: Karnes City 20 km, intensity V · Stockdale 23 km, intensity V · Nixon 25 km, intensity V · Floresville 31 km, intensity IV · Yorktown 34 km, intensity IV. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 1,400× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.6 about 120 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 250× more

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 (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. The previous largest was M 4.5 on 2024-02-17.

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 29.0580, -97.8460. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Karnes County, TX 17 km (10 mi) S earthquakes near Karnes County
Wilson County, TX 27 km (17 mi) WNW earthquakes near Wilson County
DeWitt County, TX 47 km (29 mi) E earthquakes near DeWitt County
Gonzales County, TX 57 km (35 mi) NE earthquakes near Gonzales County
Guadalupe County, TX 59 km (37 mi) N earthquakes near Guadalupe County
Goliad County, TX 60 km (37 mi) SE earthquakes near Goliad 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. 1.6 14 km NE of Falls City, Texas
  2. 1.5 3 km ESE of Falls City, Texas
  3. 2.1 14 km NE of Falls City, Texas
  4. 1.5 14 km NE of Falls City, Texas
  5. 1.5 15 km NE of Falls City, Texas
  6. 1.5 14 km NE of Falls City, Texas
  7. 1.6 15 km NE of Falls City, Texas
  8. 1.5 15 km NE of Falls City, Texas
  9. 1.7 15 km NE of Falls City, Texas
  10. 1.9 2 km SSE of Falls City, Texas
  11. 2.8 3 km ENE of Falls City, Texas
  12. 1.9 21 km ENE of Falls City, Texas
  13. 1.6 17 km ENE of Falls City, Texas
  14. 2.0 18 km ENE of Falls City, Texas
  15. 1.5 16 km ENE of Falls 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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.