On Saturday Evening a Shallow M4.1 Earthquake struck near Midland in The United States.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 4th, 2023. Last updated December 3rd, 2023.

In the evening of Saturday November 4th, 2023, a shallow Magnitude 4.1 earthquake hit under land 26 miles from Midland in The United States. Around 1.4 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 26 miles (42 km) north-northeast of Midland in Texas. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 4 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Nov 4, 2023 06:39PM (Chicago Time) - Nov 4, 2023 23:39 Universal Time.
Location:	26 mi NNE of Midland, Texas, The United States. Coordinates 32°18'43"N 101°49'41"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.1 Detected by 29 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.058 .
Depth:	4 mi (7 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 1.4 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 1.4 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

An estimated 0 people were exposed to level V. At this level, moderate shaking and very light damage can be expected. Intensity level II was experienced by the majority of people (around 1 million). In their region, very weak shaking and no damage can be expected.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
973,100	II	Very weak	None
392,000	III	Weak	Probably none
1,150	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Big Spring in Texas, The United States. Big Spring is located 21 miles (34 km) west of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Big Spring is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Midland is located 26 mi to the south-southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Lubbock is located 88 mi to the north and experienced an intensity of II (very weak shaking, no damage). Odessa is located 45 mi to the southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
21 mi (34 km) E from epicenter	Big Spring Texas, The United States.	III Weak
26 mi (42 km) SSW from epicenter	Midland Texas, The United States.	III Weak
45 mi (73 km) SW from epicenter	Odessa Texas, The United States.	III Weak
51 mi (82 km) SW from epicenter	West Odessa Texas, The United States.	III Weak
81 mi (130 km) WNW from epicenter	Hobbs New Mexico, The United States.	II Weak
88 mi (141 km) N from epicenter	Lubbock Texas, The United States.	II Weak
101 mi (162 km) SE from epicenter	San Angelo Texas, The United States.	II Weak
122 mi (197 km) E from epicenter	Abilene Texas, The United States.	II Weak
130 mi (209 km) N from epicenter	Plainview Texas, The United States.
140 mi (226 km) W from epicenter	Carlsbad New Mexico, The United States.
165 mi (266 km) NNW from epicenter	Clovis New Mexico, The United States.
171 mi (276 km) ESE from epicenter	Brownwood Texas, The United States.
173 mi (279 km) WNW from epicenter	Roswell New Mexico, The United States.
176 mi (283 km) N from epicenter	Hereford Texas, The United States.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is V. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Mexico.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico: 1 person.

2 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 1 hr after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.1 was detected 0.2 mi (0.3 km) south-southeast of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 5 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.3 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 2.9	3 days earlier Nov 2, 2023 03:51AM (Chicago Time)	12 mi (19 km) WSW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.9	3 days earlier Nov 2, 2023 03:51AM (Chicago Time)	12 mi (19 km) WSW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.3	2 days earlier Nov 2, 2023 11:51AM (Chicago Time)	12 mi (19 km) WSW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.3	2 days earlier Nov 2, 2023 02:39PM (Chicago Time)	15 mi (25 km) ENE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.7	2 days earlier Nov 3, 2023 04:51AM (Chicago Time)	30 mi (48 km) WNW from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 4.1	Nov 4, 2023 06:39PM (Chicago Time)	-
Aftershock	M 2.8	1 hr later Nov 4, 2023 07:48PM (Chicago Time)	0.2 mi (0.3 km) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.1	1 hr later Nov 4, 2023 07:49PM (Chicago Time)	0.2 mi (0.3 km) SSE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since February 22nd, 2023, when a 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit 156 mi (250 km) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck on November 16th, 2022.

In total, 27 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.1 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 5 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 4 mi (7 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 03/12/23 02:48 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.