Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.6mb_lg
Earthquake near Natchitoches, LA
No earthquake was likely felt in Natchitoches in the 24 hours to 8:10 am CST (14:10 UTC). The last one was M 2.7, 35 km (22 mi) WNW, at 3:26 pm CDT on 25 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Natchitoches
This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 31 km (19 mi) west-northwest of Natchitoches, LA, at 10:58 am CDT on 24 August 2026 (15:58 UTC), 6.4 km deep. 10 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 11 km ENE of Pleasant Hill, Louisiana
79 km (49 mi) SSE of Shreveport, LA
- When
- 10:58 am CDT on 24 August 2026 ()
- Where
- 31 km (19 mi) west-northwest of Natchitoches, LA · earthquakes near Natchitoches
- Magnitude
- M 2.6 (mb_lg)
- Depth
- 6.4 km below the surface
- Felt
- 10 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- Red River Parish, 29 km N
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 58 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Natchitoches, LA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Natchitoches, LA. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 Natchitoches, 31 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.
Likely felt in: Coushatta 20 km, intensity III · Natchitoches 31 km, intensity II · Mansfield 36 km, intensity II. 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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
- 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
The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.9 on 2026-03-05 — about 2,800 times the energy of this one.
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 31.8413, -93.3956. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red River Parish, LA | 29 km (18 mi) | N | earthquakes near Red River Parish |
| Natchitoches Parish, LA | 32 km (20 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Natchitoches Parish |
| Sabine Parish, LA | 35 km (22 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Sabine Parish |
| De Soto Parish, LA | 41 km (25 mi) | NW | earthquakes near De Soto Parish |
| Bienville Parish, LA | 65 km (40 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Bienville Parish |
| Sabine County, TX | 70 km (44 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Sabine County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
1 earthquake has been recorded within 50 km since this one.
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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.