M4.1 Earthquake 16 km ENE of Falls City, Texas — September 14, 2023
2023-09-14 18:50:39 UTC (2023-09-14) · approx. 11:50 AM UTC-7 local
Felt by 71 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 4.5 (moderate).
On September 14, 2023 at 18:50 UTC, a magnitude 4.1 shallow crustal earthquake struck 16 km ENE of Falls City, Texas, at a depth of 7.9 km and coordinates 29.0490°, -97.8640°. The earthquake was reported felt by 71 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 4.5 (moderate). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 18 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 289, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Karnes City (population 3,042).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.1 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 21 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 406 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Texas, a region characterized by a mix of natural intraplate seismicity and induced events in the Permian Basin linked to wastewater disposal. View all earthquakes in Texas.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Nearest Populated Places
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 71 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 5,791,669 |
| MMI 4 | light | 35,959 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 1 |
Earthquake Details
-97.8640°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.1 earthquake near Falls City, Texas?
The magnitude 4.1 earthquake that struck 16 km ENE of Falls City, Texas on September 14, 2023 at 18:50 UTC had a depth of 7.9 km. It was felt by 71 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 4.5 (moderate). For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 29.0490°, -97.8640°, which is 16 km ENE of Falls City, Texas. The nearest populated place is Karnes City (population 3,042). View all earthquakes in Texas.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.1 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Has Texas had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Texas was the M5.8 Valentine earthquake of August 16, 1931. Today's magnitude 4.1 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Actions
Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: tx2023sbec). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, September 14, 2023). M4.1 Earthquake 16 km ENE of Falls City, Texas — September 14, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/tx2023sbec/