QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9mb_lg

Earthquake near Pecos, TX

USGS: 19 km SW of Coyanosa, Texas

6:48 pm CDT, Sep 3, 2018 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 680 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ward County 44 kmReeves County 50 kmPecos County 63 kmCrane County 77 kmWinkler County 79 kmLoving County 85 kmEctor County 104 kmJeff Davis County 108 kmUpton County 116 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
6:48 pm CDT on 3 September 2018 ()
Where
40 km (25 mi) SE of Pecos, TX · earthquakes near Pecos
Magnitude
M 2.9 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Ward County, 44 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2884 days ago

A magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 40 km (25 mi) SE of Pecos, TX, at 6:48 pm CDT on 3 September 2018 (23:48 UTC). This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 680 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 680 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 31.1359, -103.2309. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ward County, TX 44 km (27 mi) NNE earthquakes near Ward County
Reeves County, TX 50 km (31 mi) WNW earthquakes near Reeves County
Pecos County, TX 63 km (39 mi) SE earthquakes near Pecos County
Crane County, TX 77 km (48 mi) ENE earthquakes near Crane County
Winkler County, TX 79 km (49 mi) NNE earthquakes near Winkler County
Loving County, TX 85 km (53 mi) NNW earthquakes near Loving County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 11 km N of Coyanosa, Texas
  2. 2.9 25 km SW of Coyanosa, Texas
  3. 2.6 11 km W of Lindsay, Texas
  4. 1.6 22 km S of Lindsay, Texas
  5. 3.1 19 km WSW of Coyanosa, Texas
  6. 2.0 7 km N of Coyanosa, Texas
  7. 3.3 9 km N of Coyanosa, Texas
  8. 2.6 9 km N of Coyanosa, Texas
  9. 2.6 20 km WSW of Coyanosa, Texas
  10. 2.6 20 km SSE of Lindsay, Texas
  11. 2.9 18 km ESE of Lindsay, Texas
  12. 2.7 27 km SE of Lindsay, Texas
  13. 1.5 11 km SSW of Lindsay, Texas
  14. 1.5 32 km SW of Coyanosa, Texas
  15. 1.5 15 km SSE of Lindsay, 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.