A magnitude-5.3 earthquake jolted the sparse, sunbaked plains of West Texas on April 16, one of three temblors to shake the region that night, rattling nerves and raising eyebrows in a part of the state not exactly known for its seismic swagger. The U.S. Geological Survey pegged the epicenter near the Texas-New Mexico border, a lonely stretch of desert where tumbleweeds outnumber people. This wasn’t just a one-off shiver—two smaller quakes, clocking in at magnitudes 3.4 and 2.9, tagged along, making Saturday a shaky one for the borderlands.
The main event struck near Whites City, New Mexico, just over the state line, but its ripples reached El Paso, some 150 miles away, where residents reported feeling the ground twitch. No major damage or injuries surfaced, a small mercy given the area’s thin population. The USGS noted that “little or no population” caught the brunt of the 5.3 quake, which hit deep enough to spare the surface serious havoc. Still, the agency flagged a 65% chance of a strong aftershock within the week, a heads-up that kept locals on edge.
This wasn’t a lone wolf. The region’s been buzzing with seismic activity, part of a swarm of 46 mostly minor quakes since early April, according to USGS data. Saturday’s trio stood out, though, with the 5.3 quake marking one of the strongest to hit West Texas in years. The area, dotted with oil and gas operations, has seen its share of tremors, some tied to drilling activity, though no official reports pinned this batch on human hands. The smaller quakes, while less headline-grabbing, added to the sense that something’s stirring beneath the Permian Basin.
Residents in nearby towns like Carlsbad, New Mexico, described the 5.3 as a low rumble, like a heavy truck rolling by, but it was enough to spark chatter. Emergency services stayed on standby, but with no collapsed buildings or cracked roads to report, the night passed quietly—save for the earth’s own grumbling. The USGS continues to monitor the swarm, updating maps and crunching numbers as the ground settles.
The magnitude-5.3 earthquake struck on April 16 near Whites City, New Mexico, at a depth of about 6 miles. Two additional quakes of magnitudes 3.4 and 2.9 occurred the same night. The USGS reported 46 earthquakes in the region since early April. El Paso, 150 miles from the epicenter, felt minor shaking. No damage or injuries were reported.