QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.0mwr

Earthquake near Karnes City, TX

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Karnes City in the last 24 hours. M 3.1, 101 km (63 mi) W of Karnes City, at 3:20 am CST on 12 November 2026 (09:20 UTC); the estimated shaking in Karnes City was intensity II (weak). 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS. Every earthquake near Karnes City

This page: a magnitude 4.0 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) northwest of Karnes City, TX, at 11:28 am CDT on 1 May 2018 (16:28 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 15 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km SSE of Falls City, Texas

77 km (48 mi) SE of San Antonio, TX

11:28 am CDT, May 1, 2018 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 15 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Karnes County 15 kmWilson County 26 kmAtascosa County 52 kmDeWitt County 64 kmGoliad County 64 kmBee County 64 kmLive Oak County 67 kmGuadalupe County 71 kmBexar County 75 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
11:28 am CDT on 1 May 2018 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) northwest of Karnes City, TX · earthquakes near Karnes City
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 4.0 (mwr)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
15 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Karnes County, 15 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 499 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 461 km (286 mi) from the epicentre. In Karnes City, 12 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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: Karnes City 12 km, intensity IV · Floresville 26 km, intensity IV · Stockdale 32 km, intensity IV · Nixon 42 km, intensity III · Pleasanton 46 km, intensity III · Yorktown 49 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 11,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 500× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 350× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.0 about 15 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 32× 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. No other earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded this close in that time.

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 28.9476, -98.0015. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Karnes County, TX 15 km (9 mi) ESE earthquakes near Karnes County
Wilson County, TX 26 km (16 mi) NNW earthquakes near Wilson County
Atascosa County, TX 52 km (33 mi) W earthquakes near Atascosa County
DeWitt County, TX 64 km (40 mi) ENE earthquakes near DeWitt County
Goliad County, TX 64 km (40 mi) ESE earthquakes near Goliad County
Bee County, TX 64 km (40 mi) SSE earthquakes near Bee County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 19 km NNE of Karnes City, Texas
  2. 1.7 19 km SW of Falls City, Texas
  3. 2.2 17 km S of Smiley, Texas
  4. 2.2 17 km S of Smiley, Texas
  5. 1.6 7 km E of Falls City, Texas
  6. 2.0 16 km SSE of Nixon, Texas
  7. 1.7 15 km ENE of Falls City, Texas
  8. 2.9 14 km NNW of Yorktown, Texas
  9. 1.9 11 km S of Smiley, Texas
  10. 1.5 17 km S of Nixon, Texas
  11. 2.1 15 km SSE of Nixon, Texas
  12. 1.7 14 km SSW of Nixon, Texas
  13. 2.6 19 km S of Nixon, Texas
  14. 1.8 11 km SSE of Smiley, Texas
  15. 1.9 10 km SSE of Smiley, 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.