QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4mb_lg

Earthquake near Canadian, TX

No earthquake was likely felt in Canadian in the 24 hours to 1:34 am CST (07:34 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 214 km (133 mi) E, at 5:53 am CST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 23 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Canadian

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 26 km (16 mi) east-northeast of Canadian, TX, at 4:58 am CDT on 18 August 2020 (09:58 UTC), 5.0 km deep.

USGS: 16 km SSW of Higgins, Texas

4:58 am CDT, Aug 18, 2020 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hemphill County 25 kmLipscomb County 35 kmEllis County 41 kmRoger Mills County 46 kmRoberts County 67 kmWheeler County 68 kmOchiltree County 71 kmBeckham County 89 kmWoodward County 89 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
4:58 am CDT on 18 August 2020 ()
Where
26 km (16 mi) east-northeast of Canadian, TX · earthquakes near Canadian
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.4 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Hemphill County, 25 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2209 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 41 km (25 mi) from the epicentre. In Canadian, 26 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 89,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 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 35.9948, -100.1129. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hemphill County, TX 25 km (15 mi) SW earthquakes near Hemphill County
Lipscomb County, TX 35 km (22 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lipscomb County
Ellis County, OK 41 km (26 mi) NE earthquakes near Ellis County
Roger Mills County, OK 46 km (29 mi) SE earthquakes near Roger Mills County
Roberts County, TX 67 km (42 mi) WSW earthquakes near Roberts County
Wheeler County, TX 68 km (42 mi) S earthquakes near Wheeler County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 12 km SSW of Higgins, Texas
  2. 1.6 4 km NW of Shattuck, Oklahoma
  3. 4.0 3 km WNW of Shattuck, Oklahoma

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.