Unusually powerful M5.4 Earthquake struck on Saturday Evening 119mi from El Paso in The United States.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 4th, 2025. Last updated May 20th, 2025.

An unusually powerful M5.4 earthquake struck under land 119 miles from El Paso in The United States in the evening of Saturday May 3rd, 2025. Around 2.9 million people have been exposed to shaking. Another country near the epicenter is Mexico.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 119 miles (192 km) east of El Paso in Texas. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 5 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 3, 2025 07:47PM (Denver Time) - May 4, 2025 01:47 Universal Time.
Location:	190 km east of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Coordinates 31°38'49"N 104°27'29"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 42 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.048 .
Depth:	5 mi (8 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very 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 2.9 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 2.9 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.

Strong shaking and probably light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 0 people. At VI, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 2 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Mexico .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
17,520	II	Very weak	None
2,028,000	III	Weak	Probably none
852,200	IV	Light	Likely none
10	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

The United States and Mexico are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

Located 55 miles (89 km) south-southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Carlsbad (New Mexico, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Carlsbad is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Ciudad Juárez is located 190 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). El Paso is located 119 mi to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Odessa is located 124 mi to the east 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)
55 mi (89 km) NNE from epicenter	Carlsbad New Mexico, The United States.	IV Light
103 mi (166 km) W from epicenter	Horizon City Texas, The United States.	III Weak
106 mi (171 km) NE from epicenter	Hobbs New Mexico, The United States.	III Weak
107 mi (173 km) W from epicenter	Socorro Mission Number 1 Colonia Texas, The United States.	III Weak
109 mi (175 km) W from epicenter	Socorro Texas, The United States.	IV Light
116 mi (187 km) E from epicenter	West Odessa Texas, The United States.	III Weak
190 km (118 mi) W from epicenter	Ciudad Juárez Chihuahua, Mexico.	III Weak
119 mi (192 km) W from epicenter	El Paso Texas, The United States.	III Weak
121 mi (194 km) N from epicenter	Roswell New Mexico, The United States.	IV Light
123 mi (198 km) NW from epicenter	Alamogordo New Mexico, The United States.	IV Light
124 mi (199 km) E from epicenter	Odessa Texas, The United States.	III Weak
125 mi (201 km) W from epicenter	Sunland Park New Mexico, The United States.
142 mi (228 km) E from epicenter	Midland Texas, The United States.
144 mi (231 km) WNW from epicenter	Las Cruces New Mexico, The United States.
231 km (144 mi) S from epicenter	Ojinaga Chihuahua, Mexico.
232 km (144 mi) S from epicenter	Manuel Ojinaga Chihuahua, Mexico.
180 mi (289 km) ENE from epicenter	Big Spring Texas, The United States.

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 VII.

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 6 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 6 people have reported shaking in 2 places 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:

Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico: 5 people.
Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico: 1 person.

9 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 9 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 3.6 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day later 0.6 mi (0.9 km) north of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 2 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 3.4 magnitude earthquake hit 22 hrs earlier nearby.

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	2 days earlier May 1, 2025 04:58PM (Denver Time)	8 mi (12 km) NE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.4	22 hrs earlier May 2, 2025 09:34PM (Denver Time)	25 mi (41 km) E from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.4	May 3, 2025 07:47PM (Denver Time)	-
Aftershock	M 2.9	10 mins later May 3, 2025 07:57PM (Denver Time)	1.6 mi (2.5 km) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.9	2 hrs later May 3, 2025 09:24PM (Denver Time)	1.1 mi (1.7 km) NNE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.5	15 hrs later May 4, 2025 11:14AM (Denver Time)	0.9 mi (1.5 km) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.6	16 hrs later May 4, 2025 11:41AM (Denver Time)	0.6 mi (0.9 km) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.6	1 day later May 5, 2025 03:42AM (Denver Time)	0.6 mi (0.9 km) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.8	1 day later May 5, 2025 03:48AM (Denver Time)	47 mi (76 km) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.7	1 day later May 5, 2025 05:12AM (Denver Time)	45 mi (73 km) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.5	2 days later May 5, 2025 07:40PM (Denver Time)	3 mi (5 km) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.6	2 days later May 5, 2025 09:48PM (Denver Time)	28 mi (45 km) E from Main Shock.

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.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

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

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 November 16th, 2022, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 27 mi (43 km) further east. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 1 earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 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

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 5.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 5 mi (8 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 20/05/25 00:28 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.