If you were sipping your evening coffee in El Paso on Saturday and felt the earth do a little shimmy, no, it wasn’t the caffeine. It was a 5.3-magnitude earthquake striking a rather lonely stretch of west Texas.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake hit at precisely 7:47 p.m. Mountain Time, shaking up Culberson County, a mostly empty patch of desert located about 125 miles east of El Paso.
The epicenter might not have had much company, but its effects were widely felt across Texas, New Mexico, and even northern Mexico.
Seismologists were quick to react, and so were the people of El Paso, who took to social media to ask, “Was that an earthquake or did my upstairs neighbor drop a bowling ball again?” The shaking wasn’t violent, but it was noticeable enough to startle residents and spark memories of the last time the ground felt a little too alive.
Now, depending on whom you ask, the magnitude of the quake varies slightly. The USGS pegged it at 5.3 on the Richter scale. Mexico’s seismological agency, however, claimed it was a 5.8. It’s unclear whether they’re just rounding up or if the quake decided to flex a bit more across the border.
Either way, it was significant enough to make residents pause whatever they were doing, be it watching TV or taking a nap, and wonder if they were imagining things.
Despite the rumble, there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, which is the best kind of earthquake news. Still, for a region that doesn’t usually make headlines for tectonic drama, this one got people’s attention. You could say it gave West Texas its fifteen seconds of seismic fame.
Interestingly, this wasn’t the only tremor of the evening. In a sort of geological encore, the area near Mentone, Texas, about 200 miles east of El Paso and just south of Carlsbad, New Mexico, experienced a series of quakes within a short span of time.
According to the USGS, it all began around 7:40 p.m. Mountain Time with a 3.4 magnitude quake, followed by the 5.3 shaker that stole the spotlight, and then a smaller 2.9 event to wrap up the show around 8 p.m. Clearly, West Texas had some pent-up tectonic energy to release.
And for those who’ve been keeping track, this isn’t the first time the ground has gotten a little restless in the area this year. Back on February 14, the El Paso region felt a 4.9 magnitude quake centered about 30 miles northwest of Toyah, Texas, in Reeves County.
Some might say West Texas is trying to build a resume as the earthquake capital of the Lone Star State. That would certainly be one way to attract attention, though most locals probably prefer the kind of quiet that doesn’t involve swaying chandeliers or wobbly furniture.
What makes all of this especially curious is that West Texas isn’t typically known for frequent or major earthquakes. Sure, California gets all the seismic headlines, but the Permian Basin has been increasingly active in recent years, raising eyebrows among both scientists and residents.
Some experts have pointed to increased oil and gas activity, particularly wastewater injection, as a possible contributor to this rise in seismic activity. Whether that’s the cause of Saturday’s rattling is unclear, but it’s definitely something seismologists are keeping an eye on.
While no alarms are ringing and no damage has been reported, this little geological surprise served as a reminder that the Earth can still throw curveballs, even in places you least expect it.
For now, the dust has settled, the ground has calmed, and West Texans can go back to worrying about more familiar threats, like triple-digit heat and mysterious potholes.
Follow Mahamana News For More Updates…
