Updated

Updated · The Texas Tribune · Jul 23

Texas Panhandle 5.0 Earthquake Rattles Homes Across 3 States, Among Strongest in Texas

Updated

Updated · The Texas Tribune · Jul 23

Texas Panhandle 5.0 Earthquake Rattles Homes Across 3 States, Among Strongest in Texas

Q: Was the Texas quake truly the strongest in a century, or does a forgotten tremor hold the real record?

No. The Texas Panhandle quake was not the strongest in more than a century if the historical record is taken into account. The recent earthquake was reported by the USGS at about magnitude 5.0, with some later references putting it at 5.1. That makes it a major event for the region, but not the record-holder. Historical data cited by Weather.gov indicates the largest known earthquake in the Texas Panhandle was a magnitude 5.4 tremor on July 30, 1925, near Panhandle, Texas. That means the latest quake ranks below the 1925 event and is better described as one of the strongest on record, or likely the second-largest recorded in the Texas Panhandle, rather than the strongest since 1900. The confusion appears to come from early reporting and differing magnitude estimates. News accounts describing it as the strongest since 1900 likely relied on initial summaries or incomplete historical context. But the older 1925 quake remains the stronger event based on available records. So the “forgotten tremor” does hold the real record: the 1925 magnitude 5.4 earthquake, not this week’s 5.0–5.1 quake.

3 articles · Updated · The Texas Tribune · Jul 23

A 5.0-magnitude quake struck at 5:21 a.m. near Spearman, shaking the Texas Panhandle and being felt as far as southern Oklahoma and New Mexico.
USGS placed the epicenter about 24 miles south-southeast of Spearman and said no injuries or structural damage had been reported, with economic losses expected to be minimal.
Residents in Spearman said homes shook, and some people in Oklahoma City—nearly 250 miles away—also reported feeling the tremor.
The quake ranks among Texas' strongest: the state has recorded seven 5.0-or-higher earthquakes in the past five years, and Earthquake Track ties this one for the sixth-largest in state history.
Unlike recent major West Texas quakes linked to increased fracking, officials said the Panhandle event's cause is unclear, though minor fault lines in the region can produce infrequent weak-to-moderate earthquakes.