Updated: Fri, Dec 17, 2021 02:46 GMT –
I felt this quake

Moderate magnitude 4.4 earthquake at 9 km depth
16 Dec 12:38 UTC: First to report: USGS after 13 minutes.
16 Dec 16:00: Magnitude recalculated from 4.3 to 4.4. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 8.3 to 8.5 km (from 5.2 to 5.3 mi).
Update Thu, 16 Dec 2021, 12:42
Moderate magnitude 4.3 quake hits 33 miles northwest of Pecos, Texas, United States early morning
4.3 quake 16 Dec 6:25 am (GMT -6)
A very shallow magnitude 4.3 earthquake was reported early morning near Pecos, Condado de Reeves County, Texas, USA.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake hit on Thursday, December 16th, 2021, at 6:25 am local time at a very shallow depth of 5.2 miles. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) which listed the quake at magnitude 4.1.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Toyah (pop. 98) located 22 miles from the epicenter.
Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Pecos (pop. 9,500) located 33 miles from the epicenter, Kermit (pop. 6,400) 59 miles away, and Carlsbad (pop. 29,000) 60 miles away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.
If you were or still are in this area during the quake help others with your feedback and report it here.
Download the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app and get one of the fastest seismic alerts online:
Android | iOS
Earthquake data
I felt this quake
I didn’t feel it
Date & time: Dec 16, 2021 12:25:25 UTC –
Local time at epicenter: Thursday, Dec 16, 2021 6:25 am (GMT -6)
Magnitude: 4.4
Depth: 8.5 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 31.56494°N / 104.03017°W↗ (Reeves, Texas, United States)
Antipode: 31.565°S / 75.97°E↗
Nearby towns and cities:
36 km (22 mi) NW of Toyah (pop: 98) –> See nearby quakes!
53 km (33 mi) WNW of Pecos (pop: 9,520) –> See nearby quakes!
94 km (59 mi) WSW of Kermit (Winkler County) (pop: 6,430) –> See nearby quakes!
97 km (60 mi) SSE of Carlsbad (New Mexico) (pop: 29,000) –> See nearby quakes!
148 km (92 mi) WSW of West Odessa (Ector County) (pop: 22,700) –> See nearby quakes!
152 km (94 mi) SSW of Hobbs (New Mexico) (pop: 38,400) –> See nearby quakes!
160 km (100 mi) W of Odessa (pop: 119,000) –> See nearby quakes!
191 km (119 mi) WSW of Midland (pop: 133,000) –> See nearby quakes!
209 km (130 mi) SSE of Roswell (New Mexico) (pop: 48,500) –> See nearby quakes!
617 km (383 mi) WNW of Austin (pop: 931,800) –> See nearby quakes!
Weather at epicenter at time of quake:
Broken Clouds 9.3°C (49 F), humidity: 50%, wind: 5 m/s (10 kts) from W
Primary data source: USGS (United States Geological Survey)
Estimated released energy: 2.5 x 1011 joules (69.8 megawatt hours, equivalent to 60 tons of TNT) More info
If you felt this quake (or if you were near the epicenter), please share your experience and submit a short “I felt it” report! Other users would love to hear about it!
If you did NOT feel the quake although you were in the area, please report it! Your contribution is valuable to earthquake science, seismic hazard analysis and mitigation efforts. You can use your device location or the map to indicate where you were during the earthquake. Thank you!
Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies
Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.
Mag. | Depth | Location | Source |
4.4 | 8.5 km | 35 Km NW of Toyah, Texas | USGS |
4.1 | 5 km | WESTERN TEXAS | EMSC |
4.4 | 8.5 km | Western Texas | RaspberryShake |
Earlier earthquakes in the same area since 1900
Aug 16, 1931 11:40 90 years ago |
5.8 1 km |
129km / 80mi | Jeff Davis County, 55 mi W of Alpine, Brewster County, Texas, USA | More |
Apr 14, 1995 00:32 27 years ago |
5.7 18 km |
157km / 97mi | 19 mi E of Alpine, Brewster County, Texas, USA | More |
Mar 26, 2020 15:16 1 year 38 weeks ago |
5.0 6.6 km |
16km / 10mi | 38 mi NW of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Aug 1, 1975 07:27 46 years ago |
4.8 5 km |
16km / 10mi | 31 mi W of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Jan 2, 1992 11:45 30 years ago |
4.6 5 km |
123km / 76mi | Lea County, New Mexico, 55 mi NW of Odessa, Ector County, Texas, USA | More |
Mar 17, 2021 04:19 39 weeks ago |
4.5 6.2 km |
33km / 20mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Jun 25, 2021 09:30 25 weeks ago |
4.4 6.1 km |
34km / 21mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Sep 23, 2021 07:52 12 weeks ago |
4.3 8.8 km |
4km / 3mi | Reeves County, Texas, 59 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Sep 8, 2021 22:02 14 weeks ago |
4.3 6.1 km |
35km / 22mi | Culberson County, Texas, 52 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Jul 28, 2021 15:28 20 weeks ago |
4.3 6.3 km |
22km / 14mi | Culberson County, Texas, 56 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Sep 29, 2021 07:22 11 weeks ago |
4.2 4.5 km |
35km / 22mi | Culberson County, Texas, 52 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Sep 3, 2021 05:41 15 weeks ago |
4.2 6.7 km |
38km / 23mi | Culberson County, Texas, 52 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Dec 11, 2021 22:27 5 days ago |
4.1 5.2 km |
47km / 29mi | Culberson County, Texas, 51 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Oct 3, 2021 01:39 11 weeks ago |
4.1 7.6 km |
17km / 11mi | Reeves County, Texas, 51 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Mar 28, 2010 00:03 12 years ago |
4.1 4 km |
107km / 66mi | 16 mi W of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Dec 19, 2005 20:27 16 years ago |
4.1 5 km |
118km / 73mi | 20 mi W of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Sep 18, 2021 22:27 13 weeks ago |
4.0 7.5 km |
4km / 3mi | Reeves County, Texas, 59 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Jul 19, 2021 11:23 22 weeks ago |
4.0 7.8 km |
64km / 39mi | Lea County, 38 mi SE of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Apr 27, 2021 19:42 33 weeks ago |
4.0 7.4 km |
34km / 21mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Feb 9, 2021 09:21 44 weeks ago |
4.0 12 km |
26km / 16mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Feb 20, 2016 07:53 6 years ago |
4.0 5 km |
74km / 46mi | 16 mi SE of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Feb 8, 2015 17:53 7 years ago |
4.0 20 km |
149km / 93mi | Guadalupe Municipality, 187 km SE of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico | More |
May 31, 2010 21:58 12 years ago |
4.0 5 km |
120km / 74mi | 23 mi W of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
May 23, 2004 09:22 18 years ago |
4.0 5 km |
118km / 73mi | 21 mi W of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Mar 14, 1999 22:43 23 years ago |
4.0 1 km |
127km / 79mi | 26 mi NW of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Sep 12, 2021 13:30 14 weeks ago |
3.9 7 km |
20km / 12mi | Culberson County, Texas, 56 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Apr 1, 2021 19:49 37 weeks ago |
3.9 6.5 km |
36km / 22mi | Culberson County, Texas, 52 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Mar 22, 2021 02:54 39 weeks ago |
3.9 7.1 km |
38km / 23mi | Culberson County, Texas, 52 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Oct 28, 2020 14:07 1 year 7 weeks ago |
3.9 5 km |
17km / 10mi | Culberson County, 42 mi NW of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Feb 18, 2020 13:28 1 year 43 weeks ago |
3.9 5 km |
19km / 12mi | 37 mi NW of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Jan 31, 2020 03:25 1 year 46 weeks ago |
3.9 10 km |
15km / 10mi | 36 mi NW of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Jan 25, 1976 04:48 46 years ago |
3.9 2 km |
97km / 61mi | 3.2 mi N of Kermit, Winkler County, Texas, USA | More |
Nov 28, 1974 03:35 47 years ago |
3.9 5 km |
84km / 52mi | 9.1 mi SE of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Oct 10, 2021 13:17 10 weeks ago |
3.8 8.5 km |
47km / 29mi | Culberson County, Texas, 59 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Feb 8, 2021 10:39 45 weeks ago |
3.8 8.7 km |
35km / 22mi | Culberson County, Texas, 48 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Oct 29, 2020 01:40 1 year 7 weeks ago |
3.8 2 km |
30km / 19mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Sep 18, 2020 21:48 1 year 13 weeks ago |
3.8 5 km |
18km / 11mi | Culberson County, 43 mi NW of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Mar 26, 2020 08:52 1 year 38 weeks ago |
3.8 8.4 km |
15km / 9mi | 35 mi NW of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Dec 7, 2021 02:57 10 days ago |
3.7 6.4 km |
37km / 23mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Feb 8, 2021 13:53 45 weeks ago |
3.7 5 km |
34km / 21mi | Culberson County, Texas, 54 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Mar 27, 2020 21:36 1 year 38 weeks ago |
3.7 5.2 km |
15km / 9mi | 39 mi NW of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Dec 22, 2018 10:58 3 years ago |
3.7 5 km |
88km / 55mi | Reeves County, 13 mi SW of Coyanosa, Pecos County, Texas, USA | More |
Nov 28, 2021 16:17 3 weeks ago |
3.6 6.2 km |
53km / 33mi | Culberson County, Texas, 57 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Oct 2, 2021 18:55 11 weeks ago |
3.6 6.7 km |
16km / 10mi | Reeves County, Texas, 51 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Aug 31, 2021 13:33 15 weeks ago |
3.6 6.5 km |
38km / 23mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Jun 24, 2021 19:53 25 weeks ago |
3.6 6.1 km |
34km / 21mi | Culberson County, Texas, 52 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Jun 23, 2021 09:59 25 weeks ago |
3.6 6.9 km |
38km / 23mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
May 13, 2020 11:52 1 year 31 weeks ago |
3.6 5 km |
27km / 17mi | Culberson County, Texas, 54 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Mar 29, 2020 01:27 1 year 38 weeks ago |
3.6 5 km |
18km / 11mi | 35 mi NW of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Jan 31, 2020 03:27 1 year 46 weeks ago |
3.6 5 km |
17km / 10mi | 40 mi NW of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Dec 11, 2021 13:28 6 days ago |
3.5 7.3 km |
34km / 21mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Dec 11, 2021 09:03 6 days ago |
3.5 7 km |
34km / 21mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Oct 22, 2021 23:55 8 weeks ago |
3.5 5.7 km |
39km / 24mi | Culberson County, Texas, 54 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Oct 18, 2021 08:07 9 weeks ago |
3.5 7.5 km |
12km / 7mi | Culberson County, Texas, 60 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
May 22, 2021 01:40 30 weeks ago |
3.5 7.3 km |
29km / 18mi | Culberson County, Texas, 50 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Apr 28, 2021 02:10 33 weeks ago |
3.5 6.7 km |
54km / 34mi | Culberson County, Texas, 52 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Mar 18, 2021 22:39 39 weeks ago |
3.5 6.1 km |
37km / 23mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Feb 1, 2021 15:27 45 weeks ago |
3.5 5 km |
37km / 23mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Jan 30, 2021 09:10 46 weeks ago |
3.5 5 km |
36km / 22mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Jul 22, 2020 17:01 1 year 21 weeks ago |
3.5 5 km |
85km / 53mi | 23 mi SE of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Feb 26, 2020 18:11 1 year 42 weeks ago |
3.5 4.6 km |
45km / 28mi | Culberson County, Texas, 55 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Nov 7, 2019 04:04 2 years ago |
3.5 5 km |
26km / 16mi | Culberson County, 49 mi W of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Sep 6, 2016 20:15 5 years ago |
3.5 5 km |
82km / 51mi | 20 mi SE of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Jan 19, 1976 04:03 46 years ago |
3.5 1 km |
98km / 61mi | 3.1 mi N of Kermit, Winkler County, Texas, USA | More |
Nov 26, 2021 13:24 3 weeks ago |
3.4 6.4 km |
23km / 14mi | Culberson County, Texas, 57 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Oct 17, 2021 19:00 9 weeks ago |
3.4 7.7 km |
16km / 10mi | Reeves County, Texas, 51 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Sep 22, 2021 21:17 12 weeks ago |
3.4 6.6 km |
28km / 17mi | Reeves County, Texas, 51 mi SE of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Sep 6, 2021 04:38 15 weeks ago |
3.4 6.2 km |
34km / 21mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Aug 13, 2021 18:52 18 weeks ago |
3.4 7.2 km |
39km / 24mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Jul 31, 2021 20:30 20 weeks ago |
3.4 7.6 km |
22km / 13mi | Culberson County, Texas, 56 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Jul 9, 2021 01:09 23 weeks ago |
3.4 7.3 km |
38km / 23mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Jun 11, 2021 04:44 27 weeks ago |
3.4 7.2 km |
35km / 22mi | Culberson County, Texas, 52 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Jun 9, 2021 04:10 27 weeks ago |
3.4 7.4 km |
21km / 13mi | Culberson County, Texas, 57 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
May 18, 2021 06:34 30 weeks ago |
3.4 7.1 km |
36km / 22mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Nov 12, 2020 20:11 1 year 5 weeks ago |
3.4 7.7 km |
52km / 32mi | Culberson County, Texas, 52 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Sep 24, 2020 23:14 1 year 12 weeks ago |
3.4 5 km |
35km / 22mi | Culberson County, Texas, 54 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Apr 12, 2020 03:11 1 year 36 weeks ago |
3.4 5 km |
35km / 22mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Jan 30, 2020 15:58 1 year 46 weeks ago |
3.4 1.8 km |
88km / 55mi | 25 mi SE of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Dec 17, 2019 11:16 2 years ago |
3.4 5 km |
16km / 10mi | Culberson County, 43 mi W of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Jul 31, 2019 01:14 2 years ago |
3.4 5 km |
95km / 59mi | 5.7 mi N of Coyanosa, Pecos County, Texas, USA | More |
Sep 3, 2017 06:27 4 years ago |
3.4 3 km |
87km / 54mi | 13 mi SW of Coyanosa, Pecos County, Texas, USA | More |
Nov 30, 2021 21:20 2 weeks ago |
3.3 7.5 km |
38km / 23mi | Culberson County, Texas, 52 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Nov 28, 2021 23:03 3 weeks ago |
3.3 4.6 km |
81km / 50mi | 21 mi SE of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Oct 14, 2021 22:05 9 weeks ago |
3.3 7.5 km |
50km / 31mi | Reeves County, Texas, 36 mi SE of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Oct 3, 2021 01:48 11 weeks ago |
3.3 7.8 km |
16km / 10mi | Reeves County, Texas, 51 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Sep 24, 2021 22:33 12 weeks ago |
3.3 6.2 km |
45km / 28mi | Culberson County, Texas, 54 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Dec 4, 2020 19:21 1 year 2 weeks ago |
3.3 8.6 km |
28km / 18mi | Culberson County, Texas, 53 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Nov 29, 2020 09:20 1 year 3 weeks ago |
3.3 3.7 km |
87km / 54mi | 23 mi SE of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Nov 15, 2020 15:44 1 year 4 weeks ago |
3.3 5 km |
20km / 12mi | 42 mi NW of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Nov 6, 2020 19:37 1 year 6 weeks ago |
3.3 2.6 km |
90km / 56mi | Pecos County, 26 mi SE of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Mar 15, 2018 17:47 4 years ago |
3.3 5 km |
85km / 53mi | Pecos County, 23 mi SE of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Jan 2, 2018 13:42 4 years ago |
3.3 5 km |
59km / 37mi | 15 mi S of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Jun 16, 2016 03:08 6 years ago |
3.3 3 km |
84km / 52mi | Pecos County, 23 mi SE of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Aug 4, 2015 15:06 6 years ago |
3.3 5 km |
84km / 52mi | Pecos County, 22 mi SE of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas, USA | More |
Apr 4, 2015 00:16 7 years ago |
3.3 5 km |
87km / 54mi | 12 mi SW of Coyanosa, Pecos County, Texas, USA | More |
Jun 2, 2001 01:55 21 years ago |
3.3 5 km |
120km / 74mi | 25 mi S of Hobbs, Lea County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Apr 26, 1977 09:03 45 years ago |
3.3 4 km |
97km / 60mi | 3.1 mi N of Kermit, Winkler County, Texas, USA | More |
Dec 8, 2021 04:11 9 days ago |
3.2 7.6 km |
38km / 24mi | Culberson County, Texas, 52 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Dec 4, 2021 05:34 13 days ago |
3.2 7.1 km |
19km / 12mi | Culberson County, Texas, 57 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |
Nov 28, 2021 05:59 3 weeks ago |
3.2 7.3 km |
24km / 15mi | Culberson County, Texas, 52 mi S of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, USA | More |