M5.0 Earthquake 53 km NW of Toyah, Texas — February 15, 2025
2025-02-15 05:23:21 UTC (2025-02-15) · approx. 10:23 PM UTC-7 local
Felt by 1,974 people across a wide area. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 5.7 (strong).
On February 15, 2025 at 05:23 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 53 km NW of Toyah, Texas, at a depth of 6.1 km and coordinates 31.6610°, -104.1800°. The earthquake was reported felt by 1,974 peopleacross a wide area, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 5.7 (strong). 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 915, making it one of the more significant events of the week. The nearest populated place is Artesia (population 11,301).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.7 km — 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
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 5.7 (strong), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Moderate shaking that everyone in the area would feel. Sleeping people are awakened. Dishes and windows may break. Unstable objects may be knocked over.
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 1,974 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 | 657,495 |
| MMI 4 | light | 286,466 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 224 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 8 |
Earthquake Details
-104.1800°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near Toyah, Texas?
The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck 53 km NW of Toyah, Texas on February 15, 2025 at 05:23 UTC had a depth of 6.1 km. It was felt by 1,974 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 5.7 (strong). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 31.6610°, -104.1800°, which is 53 km NW of Toyah, Texas. The nearest populated place is Artesia (population 11,301). View all earthquakes in Texas.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.0 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks 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 5.0 event is within one magnitude unit of that historical record.
Actions
Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: tx2025deqh). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, February 15, 2025). M5.0 Earthquake 53 km NW of Toyah, Texas — February 15, 2025. Retrieved July 17, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/tx2025deqh/