5.3-magnitude earthquake strikes west Texas

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck west Texas early Wednesday morning.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake struck about 23 miles WSW of Mentone, Texas, at 4:27 a.m. local time.

A 5.3-magnitude earthquake is considered a “moderate” earthquake on the Richter magnitude scale and can often do some minor damage to buildings. Each one-point increase on the Richter scale represents an increase in an earthquake’s intensity by 10x and an increase in the earthquake’s energy by more than 32x.


What’s the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Texas?

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 4.6 miles and was felt by people as far away as 200+ miles from the epicenter.

As of Wednesday morning, there luckily have been no reports of damage or injury.

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