Powerful 5.3 earthquake shakes western Texas, reaching Santa Teresa. Residents startled, minimal damage reported.
Early Wednesday morning, a potent magnitude 5.3 earthquake rocked western Texas, its reverberations reaching as far as Santa Teresa, New Mexico, nearly 200 miles away. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) indicated that the seismic event occurred around 4:27 a.m. local time, with its epicenter situated approximately 24 miles southwest of Mentone. Mentone is a town near the Texas-New Mexico border, roughly 57 miles southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico.
The earthquake, with a depth of 7.4 kilometers, caused substantial shaking in the immediate vicinity, startling residents who were abruptly awakened by the unexpected tremor, as reported by Mirror. A local resident in Carlsbad described the ordeal, noting, “The entire hotel shook for a good two minutes. Front desk said they’ve been happening more frequently for the last 6 months.”
Meteorologist Evan O’Regan expressed his surprise, sharing, “Didn’t have experiencing my first ever #earthquake on my bingo card today! My car was shaking when I stopped at a red light!” Numerous others echoed similar sentiments of being jolted from sleep during the early hours.
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Despite causing confusion due to its occurrence in the predawn period, there are no reports of injuries or significant structural damage at this time. The USGS shake map revealed that the tremor’s effects were felt up to 90 miles away, extending to Santa Teresa.
Mentone, the quake’s epicenter, is situated in a sparsely populated area approximately 75 miles west of Odessa, Texas. Authorities are actively monitoring the situation, and CNN has reached out to the Loving County Sheriff’s Office for additional information on the event.