Unusually powerful M5.1 Earthquake hit near Abilene in The United States on Friday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 26th, 2024. Last updated September 24th, 2024.

Under land 58 miles from Abilene in The United States, an unusually powerful M5.1 earthquake occurred in the morning of Friday July 26th, 2024. Roughly 1.6 million people may have felt this earthquake.

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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 26, 2024 09:28AM (Chicago Time) - Jul 26, 2024 14:28 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 5.1 Detected by 34 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.053 .
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

This earthquake may have been felt by around 1.6 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.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 110 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 0.8 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 . Located 58 miles (94 km) west-northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Abilene (Texas, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. Abilene experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Lubbock is located 89 mi to the northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably 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).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VI.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

11 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 11 smaller aftershocks. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day later 2.6 mi (4 km) southwest of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 8 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 1 day earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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 5.1 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 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 24/09/24 06:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake tx2024ophu
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240726_0000200
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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