Unusually powerful M4.9 Earthquake struck on Monday Evening near Abilene in The United States.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 23rd, 2024. Last updated September 7th, 2024.

In the evening of Monday July 22nd, 2024, an unusually powerful M4.9 earthquake hit under land 58 miles from Abilene in The United States. Around 1.6 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 58 miles (94 km) west-northwest of Abilene in Texas. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 2 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jul 22, 2024 10:38PM (Chicago Time) - Jul 23, 2024 03:38 Universal Time.
Location:	58 mi WNW of Abilene, Texas, The United States. Coordinates 32°45'58"N 100°39'32"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.9 Detected by 128 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.027 .
Depth:	2 mi (3 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 69% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 98% 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 1.6 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 1.6 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is V, which corresponds with moderate shaking and very light damage. Roughly 4,990 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 1 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Abilene in Texas, The United States. Abilene is located 58 miles (94 km) west-northwest of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Abilene is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Lubbock is located 89 mi to the northwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Abilene is located 58 mi to the east-southeast and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Midland is located 98 mi to the west-southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

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

12 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 12 smaller aftershocks. A 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit 8 mins later 1.2 mi (1.9 km) west of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

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.

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since December 16th, 2022, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 95 mi (153 km) further west-southwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 1 earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9 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 10 years.

Tsunami very unlikely

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

Sources

Last updated 07/09/24 06:38 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake tx2024oizv
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240723_0000049
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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