AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin area reportedly felt something it’s not accustomed to for the second time in less than a year.
A 4.5-magnitude earthquake was confirmed Wednesday night near Falls City, Texas, which sits about 40 miles southeast of San Antonio.
The earthquake was felt more than 120 miles away, with multiple reports of shaking across Del Valle, the Austin airport and even as far north as Georgetown. The earthquake is the second to hit Falls City within the past year that also shook Austin.
In February 2024, a pair of earthquakes occurred within 15 minutes of each other. The strongest of the two, a 4.7-magnitude, was also felt across parts of Round Rock in Georgetown.
Falls City is no stranger to earthquakes. Last year, the area felt over 20 earthquakes of varying magnitudes throughout February. Thankfully, earthquakes of that size tend to only cause minor damage, none of which was reported in Central Texas.
According to Earthquake Track, Texas has seen more than 5,100 earthquakes in the last 365 days, with the largest being a 5.1-magnitude that hit Snyder in July. Two months later, another 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit 60 miles away in Ackerly.
What are the biggest earthquakes in Texas history?
None of the recent earthquakes come close to the monster 6.5-magnitude that hit Fort Davis in 1931. However, six of the 10 biggest earthquakes in Texas history have all occurred in the last few years. Here’s the complete list:
- Aug. 16, 1931, Fort Davis: 6.5 magnitude
- April 14, 1995, Alpine: 5.7 magnitude
- Nov. 16, 2022, Mentone: 5.4 magnitude
- Dec. 16, 2022, Midland: 5.4 magnitude
- Nov. 8, 2023, Mentone: 5.2 magnitude
- July 26, 2024, Snyder: 5.1 magnitude
- Sept. 16, 2024, Lamesa: 5.1 magnitude
- March 26, 2020, Mentone: 5.0 magnitude
- July 22, 2024, Hermleigh: 4.9 magnitude
- Oct. 20, 2011, Karnes City: 4.8 magnitude