2.5

M2.5 Earthquake 11 km NNE of Odessa, Texas — January 28, 2021

2021-01-28 19:09:21 UTC (2021-01-28) · approx. 12:09 PM UTC-7 local

Felt by 10 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM2.5(mb_lg)
Time19:09 UTC≈ 12:09 PM UTC-7
Depth2.5 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates31.931°, -102.307°
Felt by10DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On January 28, 2021 at 19:09 UTC, a magnitude 2.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 11 km NNE of Odessa, Texas, at a depth of 2.5 km and coordinates 31.9315°, -102.3073°.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 2.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 84.8 kg of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 32 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

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 31.93°, -102.31°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 10 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M2.5 earthquake near 11 km NNE of Odessa, Texas

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
2.5 mb_lg
Depth
2.5 km
shallow crustal
Location
31.9315°N
-102.3073°E
Felt Reports
10
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
3.8
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000dcqm
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
100
Azimuthal Gap
44.0°
Min Station Distance
0.003°
RMS Residual
0.38 sec
Last Updated
2021-04-13 17:06:08 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 2.5 earthquake near Odessa, Texas?

The magnitude 2.5 earthquake that struck 11 km NNE of Odessa, Texas on January 28, 2021 at 19:09 UTC had a depth of 2.5 km. For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 31.9315°, -102.3073°, which is 11 km NNE of Odessa, Texas. View all earthquakes in Texas.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 2.5 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 2.5 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000dcqm). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, January 28, 2021). M2.5 Earthquake 11 km NNE of Odessa, Texas — January 28, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000dcqm/