QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1mb_lg

Earthquake near Irving, TX

No earthquake was likely felt in Irving in the 24 hours to 7:56 pm CST (01:56 UTC). The last one was M 5.0, 504 km (313 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 Irving

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) west of Irving, TX, at 12:06 am CST on 31 January 2016 (06:06 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 7 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2 km W of Irving, Texas

19 km (12 mi) W of Dallas, TX · in Irving, TX

12:06 am CST, Jan 31, 2016 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 43 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Dallas County 19 kmTarrant County 30 kmDenton County 45 kmRockwall County 53 kmEllis County 55 kmCollin County 56 kmJohnson County 61 kmKaufman County 68 kmWise County 78 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
12:06 am CST on 31 January 2016 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) west of Irving, TX · earthquakes near Irving
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.1 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
7 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Dallas County, 19 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1559 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 28 km (17 mi) from the epicentre. In Irving, 2 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Grand Prairie, Euless, Farmers Branch, Arlington, Dallas, Coppell.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 43 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 43 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 32.8157, -96.9720. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Dallas County, TX 19 km (12 mi) ESE earthquakes near Dallas County
Tarrant County, TX 30 km (19 mi) W earthquakes near Tarrant County
Denton County, TX 45 km (28 mi) NNW earthquakes near Denton County
Rockwall County, TX 53 km (33 mi) E earthquakes near Rockwall County
Ellis County, TX 55 km (34 mi) SSE earthquakes near Ellis County
Collin County, TX 56 km (35 mi) NE earthquakes near Collin County

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

Aftershocks so far

28 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. 1.7 1 km N of Justin, Texas
  6. 2.0 4 km SSE of Haslet, Texas
  7. 2.3 1 km NW of Northlake, Texas
  8. 1.5 5 km NNE of Irving, Texas
  9. 2.3 7 km S of Mansfield, Texas
  10. 1.8 0 km S of Lake Dallas, Texas
  11. 2.3 6 km NNE of Irving, Texas
  12. 1.6 5 km SSW of Farmers Branch, 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.