A strong magnitude-5.3 earthquake hits a secluded region in West Texas, part of a series of three shocks recorded.
Rewritten Article:
Hey there! On Saturday night, a good ol' shaker with a magnitude of 5.3 hit West Texas, stirring up a sequence of seismic events near the Texas-New Mexico border. That's according to the cute lil' US Geological Survey (USGS).
The earthquake went down at 7:47 p.m., approximately 35 miles south of the small town of Whites City, New Mexico. The area is kinda in between the Texan cities of Midland and El Paso. So, not the busiest locale, thank goodness!
Interestingly, this quake happened nearly 4 miles beneath the earth's surface, as per the USGS.
Since the area's sparsely populated, only a few residents felt the jolt, as the USGS suggests. Plus, there's a low chance of ground failure, landslides, or liquefaction, where soil behaves like a fluid.
This earthquake was part of a cluster of 46 minor tremors that have rocked the area since early April, as shown by USGS data. There's a 65% likelihood of a strong aftershock within a week, the USGS mentions.
KTSM, a phoning it in NBC affiliate from El Paso, about 100 miles west of the epicenter, reported that this was the strongest of three somewhat unusual earthquakes that hit the region on Saturday night, including magnitudes 3.4 and 2.9 quakes.
The USGS's "Did You Feel It" list shows responses from Texas cities like Arlington, Midland, and Lubbock, among others. No injuries were reported, so we're all good on the health front!
[Enrichment Data: The earthquake, which initially showed a magnitude of 6.5 per EMSC reports, was later adjusted to the USGS’s 5.3 reading. The likelihood of a strong aftershock within a week is 65%, according to the USGS, while the EMSC warned of possible aftershocks for "hours or days." The swarm comes after a separate 7.4-magnitude earthquake near Chile and Argentina on May 3, though no direct link has been confirmed. The tremors were felt across a 200-mile radius, affecting nearly two million people in the U.S. and Mexico. No major damage or injuries were reported, and authorities advise avoiding damaged areas and monitoring official updates.]
- The USGS initially noted a potential for a significant aftershock, as the sequence of seismic events in West Texas has roughly a 65% chance of producing a strong one within a week.
- In light of the seismic activity in West Texas, reports indicate that the most recent earthquake, with a magnitude of 5.3, is part of a series of 46 minor tremors that have occurred since early April, according to USGS data.
- As the earthquakes in West Texas continue, residents in cities like Arlington, Midland, and Lubbock have felt the effects, according to the USGS's "Did You Feel It" list, while no injuries have been reported due to the rough weather conditions and subsequent earthquakes in the region.
