QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3ml

Earthquake near Midland, TX

No earthquake was likely felt in Midland in the 24 hours to 10:25 pm CST (04:25 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 35 km (22 mi) ESE, at 4:17 am CST on 4 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Midland

This page: a magnitude 3.3 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) southeast of Midland, TX, at 5:57 pm CDT on 16 July 2026 (22:57 UTC), 7.1 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 24 km SW of Garden City, Texas

53 km (33 mi) SE of Midland, TX

5:57 pm CDT, Jul 16, 2026 · · 7.1 km deep · released about 1.3 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Glasscock County 22 kmMidland County 32 kmReagan County 42 kmUpton County 53 kmSterling County 61 kmHoward County 68 kmMartin County 70 kmIrion County 81 kmEctor County 83 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
5:57 pm CDT on 16 July 2026 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) southeast of Midland, TX · earthquakes near Midland
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 3.3 (ml)
Depth
7.1 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Glasscock County, 22 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 97 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 234 km (145 mi) from the epicentre. In Midland, 48 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Stanton 46 km, intensity III · Midland 48 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.3 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 5,600× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.3 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.8× 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

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 31.7250, -101.6830. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Glasscock County, TX 22 km (14 mi) NE earthquakes near Glasscock County
Midland County, TX 32 km (20 mi) WNW earthquakes near Midland County
Reagan County, TX 42 km (26 mi) SSE earthquakes near Reagan County
Upton County, TX 53 km (33 mi) SW earthquakes near Upton County
Sterling County, TX 61 km (38 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sterling County
Howard County, TX 68 km (42 mi) NNE earthquakes near Howard County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 25 km SW of Garden City, Texas
  2. 1.5 25 km SW of Garden City, Texas
  3. 1.8 24 km SW of Garden City, Texas
  4. 2.4 24 km SW of Garden City, Texas
  5. 2.7 25 km SW of Garden City, Texas
  6. 1.8 25 km SW of Garden City, Texas
  7. 1.8 25 km SW of Garden City, Texas
  8. 3.6 26 km SW of Garden City, Texas
  9. 1.6 25 km SW of Garden City, Texas
  10. 1.5 22 km W of Garden City, Texas
  11. 1.5 12 km W of Forsan, Texas
  12. 1.5 11 km S of Forsan, Texas
  13. 1.8 10 km S of Forsan, Texas
  14. 1.5 13 km W of Stanton, Texas
  15. 2.1 11 km WSW of Stanton, 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.