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US authorities reported that a 5.4 magnitude earthquake rattled buildings but did not appear to cause any damage in a region of west Texas that produces oil.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of roughly eight kilometres at 5:35 p.m. local time (23:35 GMT), 22 kilometres (12 miles) northwest of Midland, according to the US Geological Survey.
Three minutes after the initial tremor, a magnitude 3.3 tremor of substantially lower intensity occurred, according to the USGS.
Preliminary data from the USGS reports the earthquake was a magnitude 5.3 centered 12 miles to the NNW of Midland with a depth of 3 miles. This would be the 4th strongest earthquake in Texas state history! #txwx #earthquake
— NWS Midland (@NWSMidland) December 16, 2022
The National Weather Service’s Midland office tweeted, “This may be the fourth-greatest earthquake in Texas state history!”
Despite being modest, the quake was felt over a wide area, from Lubbock, near the Texas Panhandle, to Odessa, 20 miles southwest of Midland, according to a tweet from meteorologist Jacob Riley at television station KLBK in Lubbock.
The Pecos region of west Texas, just south of the New Mexico border, was struck by another, marginally weaker earthquake exactly one month before to Friday’s tremor. It did not harm anything.
