Shallow M5.1 earthquake hits near Ackerly, Texas
A shallow M5.1 earthquake struck near Ackerly, Texas, at 00:49 UTC on September 17, 2024 (19:49 CDT on September 16), shaking the Midland-Odessa region and prompting over 1 700 reports of tremors. The USGS is reporting a depth of 8.2 km (5.1 miles) and epicenter approximately 34 km (21 miles) west-southwest of Ackerly.
Featured image: 49 UTC on September 17, 2024. Credit: TW/SAM, ESRI
The epicenter was located 34.7 km (21.5 miles) WSW of Ackerly (population 231), and 46 km (28.6 miles) N of Midland (population 132 950), Texas, United States.
1 000 people are estimated to have felt moderate shaking, 500 000 light and 741 000 weak.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are unreinforced brick masonry and reinforced masonry construction.
The quake was preceded by an M1.5 tremor at 16:10 UTC on September 16, at a depth of 7.9 km (4.9 miles), and followed by an M2.8 at 05:46 UTC on September 17.
Moderate shaking was reported in the vicinity of the epicenter, but there are no reports of significant damage or injuries at this time.
USGS forecasts a 45% chance of aftershocks with magnitudes of 3.0 or greater in the week following the event.
The region where the earthquake occurred lies within the Permian Basin, a major oil-producing area. The Midland-Odessa region is not frequently subject to significant seismic activity, making this earthquake notable.
This is the 6th strongest earthquake in Texas history – sharing this place with the M5.1 quake 17 km (10 miles) NNE of Hermleigh on July 26, 2024.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M 5.1 – 34 km WSW of Ackerly, Texas – USGS – September 17, 2024
2 M 5.1 – 17 km NNE of Hermleigh, Texas – USGS – July 26, 2024
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules.