QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Sterling City, TX

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Sterling City in the last 24 hours. M 2.5, 35 km (22 mi) NNW of Sterling City, at 5:05 pm CST on 11 November 2026 (23:05 UTC); the estimated shaking in Sterling City was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Sterling City

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 29 km (18 mi) north of Sterling City, TX, at 5:06 pm CDT on 9 August 2025 (22:06 UTC), 4.1 km deep.

USGS: 28 km N of Sterling City, Texas

5:06 pm CDT, Aug 9, 2025 · · 4.1 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mitchell County 25 kmSterling County 29 kmCoke County 42 kmHoward County 47 kmGlasscock County 55 kmNolan County 60 kmScurry County 73 kmBorden County 83 kmIrion County 88 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
5:06 pm CDT on 9 August 2025 ()
Where
29 km (18 mi) north of Sterling City, TX · earthquakes near Sterling City
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
4.1 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Mitchell County, 25 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 458 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 Sterling City, 29 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 5.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.4 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 32.0930, -101.0000. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mitchell County, TX 25 km (15 mi) NNE earthquakes near Mitchell County
Sterling County, TX 29 km (18 mi) S earthquakes near Sterling County
Coke County, TX 42 km (26 mi) SE earthquakes near Coke County
Howard County, TX 47 km (29 mi) WNW earthquakes near Howard County
Glasscock County, TX 55 km (34 mi) WSW earthquakes near Glasscock County
Nolan County, TX 60 km (37 mi) ENE earthquakes near Nolan 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 24 km SSW of Westbrook, Texas
  2. 1.7 5 km WSW of Westbrook, Texas
  3. 1.5 6 km WSW of Westbrook, Texas
  4. 4.3 5 km WSW of Westbrook, Texas
  5. 1.6 26 km S of Westbrook, Texas
  6. 1.5 21 km E of Forsan, Texas
  7. 1.7 12 km W of Forsan, Texas
  8. 1.8 18 km S of Westbrook, Texas
  9. 2.3 16 km SE of Coahoma, Texas
  10. 1.5 11 km W of Forsan, Texas
  11. 1.5 11 km W of Forsan, Texas
  12. 2.4 16 km SE of Coahoma, Texas
  13. 1.6 16 km SE of Coahoma, Texas
  14. 1.7 16 km SE of Coahoma, Texas
  15. 2.6 16 km SE of Coahoma, 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.