QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Big Spring, TX

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Big Spring in the last 24 hours. M 2.5, 41 km (26 mi) ESE of Big Spring, at 5:05 pm CST on 11 November 2026 (23:05 UTC); the estimated shaking in Big Spring was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Big Spring

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 33 km (21 mi) south of Big Spring, TX, at 5:22 pm CST on 14 December 2025 (23:22 UTC), 8.8 km deep.

USGS: 9 km N of Garden City, Texas

62 km (38 mi) E of Midland, TX

5:22 pm CST, Dec 14, 2025 · · 8.8 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Glasscock County 10 kmHoward County 39 kmSterling County 41 kmMidland County 53 kmMartin County 61 kmReagan County 64 kmMitchell County 65 kmCoke County 79 kmIrion County 85 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
5:22 pm CST on 14 December 2025 ()
Where
33 km (21 mi) south of Big Spring, TX · earthquakes near Big Spring
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
8.8 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Glasscock County, 10 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 332 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 Big Spring, 33 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.6 on 2021-12-28 — about 45,000 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 31.9500, -101.4670. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Glasscock County, TX 10 km (7 mi) SSW earthquakes near Glasscock County
Howard County, TX 39 km (24 mi) N earthquakes near Howard County
Sterling County, TX 41 km (25 mi) ESE earthquakes near Sterling County
Midland County, TX 53 km (33 mi) WSW earthquakes near Midland County
Martin County, TX 61 km (38 mi) NW earthquakes near Martin County
Reagan County, TX 64 km (40 mi) S earthquakes near Reagan County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 24 km SSW of Westbrook, Texas
  2. 1.5 24 km S of Westbrook, Texas
  3. 2.1 23 km S of Westbrook, Texas
  4. 1.5 24 km S of Westbrook, Texas
  5. 1.5 28 km S of Westbrook, Texas
  6. 1.9 11 km W of Forsan, Texas
  7. 1.8 24 km E of Forsan, Texas
  8. 1.6 23 km S of Westbrook, Texas
  9. 1.5 27 km S of Westbrook, Texas
  10. 1.7 19 km WNW of Sterling City, Texas
  11. 1.5 16 km SSE of Stanton, Texas
  12. 1.7 23 km S of Westbrook, Texas
  13. 2.0 24 km SSW of Westbrook, Texas
  14. 2.3 23 km S of Westbrook, Texas
  15. 2.0 23 km S of Westbrook, 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.