QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6mb_lg

Earthquake near Venus, TX

No earthquake was likely felt in Venus in the 24 hours to 4:18 pm CST (22:18 UTC). The last one was M 5.0, 525 km (326 mi) NW, at 5:21 am CDT on 23 July 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 499 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Venus

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) north-northwest of Venus, TX, at 9:03 am CDT on 12 September 2016 (14:03 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 6 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km NNW of Venus, Texas

10 km (6 mi) S of Mansfield, TX · 48 km (30 mi) SW of Dallas, TX

9:03 am CDT, Sep 12, 2016 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Johnson County 25 kmEllis County 34 kmTarrant County 36 kmDallas County 45 kmHill County 55 kmHood County 67 kmSomervell County 67 kmParker County 72 kmNavarro County 77 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
9:03 am CDT on 12 September 2016 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) north-northwest of Venus, TX · earthquakes near Venus
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.6 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
6 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Johnson County, 25 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3628 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 51 km (32 mi) from the epicentre. In Venus, 5 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: Mansfield 10 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 240 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 240 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 32.4775, -97.1202. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Johnson County, TX 25 km (16 mi) WSW earthquakes near Johnson County
Ellis County, TX 34 km (21 mi) ESE earthquakes near Ellis County
Tarrant County, TX 36 km (23 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tarrant County
Dallas County, TX 45 km (28 mi) NE earthquakes near Dallas County
Hill County, TX 55 km (34 mi) S earthquakes near Hill County
Hood County, TX 67 km (42 mi) W earthquakes near Hood County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 6 km SSE of Farmers Branch, Texas
  2. 2.2 5 km S of Farmers Branch, Texas
  3. 3.1 7 km SSW of Mansfield, Texas
  4. 3.2 7 km S of Mansfield, Texas
  5. 1.5 5 km NNE of Irving, Texas
  6. 2.3 7 km S of Mansfield, Texas
  7. 1.8 5 km N of Itasca, Texas
  8. 2.3 6 km NNE of Irving, Texas
  9. 1.6 5 km SSW of Farmers Branch, Texas
  10. 1.6 6 km N of Itasca, Texas
  11. 1.5 5 km S of Grandview, Texas
  12. 2.4 2 km SSW of Joshua, Texas
  13. 1.8 7 km S of Mansfield, Texas
  14. 3.2 8 km SSW of Mansfield, Texas
  15. 2.5 4 km SSE of Rendon, 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.