M3.6 Earthquake 32 km SW of Garden City, Texas — September 24, 2026
2026-09-24 08:36:08 UTC (1 hour ago) · approx. 1:36 AM UTC-7 local
On September 24, 2026 at 08:36 UTC, a magnitude 3.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 32 km SW of Garden City, Texas, at a depth of 5.5 km and coordinates 31.6710°, -101.7420°. The nearest populated place is Midland (population 130,765).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 3.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 3.8 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 184 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
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
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 | 410,537 |
| MMI 4 | light | 34,066 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 147 |
Earthquake Details
-101.7420°E
Technical Information
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Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 3.6 earthquake near Garden City, Texas?
The magnitude 3.6 earthquake that struck 32 km SW of Garden City, Texas on September 24, 2026 at 08:36 UTC had a depth of 5.5 km. For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 3.6 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
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Understanding This Data
Magnitude 3.6 earthquakes are typically only recorded by instruments.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: tx2026suygvy). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, September 24, 2026). M3.6 Earthquake 32 km SW of Garden City, Texas — September 24, 2026. Retrieved September 24, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/tx2026suygvy/