QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Amarillo, TX

No earthquake was likely felt in Amarillo in the 24 hours to 3:12 pm CST (21:12 UTC). The last one was M 2.8, 48 km (30 mi) ESE, at 12:26 pm CDT on 26 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Amarillo

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) northeast of Amarillo, TX, at 11:06 am CDT on 15 May 2026 (16:06 UTC), 7.7 km deep.

USGS: 8 km NE of Amarillo, Texas

10 km (6 mi) NE of Amarillo, TX

11:06 am CDT, May 15, 2026 · · 7.7 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Potter County 19 kmRandall County 36 kmCarson County 40 kmArmstrong County 50 kmMoore County 64 kmHutchinson County 73 kmOldham County 77 kmSwisher County 83 kmDeaf Smith 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
11:06 am CDT on 15 May 2026 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) northeast of Amarillo, TX · earthquakes near Amarillo
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
7.7 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Potter County, 19 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 98 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 15 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Amarillo, 8 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.

Likely felt in: Amarillo 8 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

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 35.2690, -101.7600. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Potter County, TX 19 km (12 mi) NW earthquakes near Potter County
Randall County, TX 36 km (23 mi) SSW earthquakes near Randall County
Carson County, TX 40 km (25 mi) ENE earthquakes near Carson County
Armstrong County, TX 50 km (31 mi) SE earthquakes near Armstrong County
Moore County, TX 64 km (40 mi) N earthquakes near Moore County
Hutchinson County, TX 73 km (45 mi) NNE earthquakes near Hutchinson County

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

Aftershocks so far

1 earthquake has been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 2.8 13 km S of Claude, 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.