Quake centered near Spearman, felt across Oklahoma and Kansas
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck the Texas Panhandle early Thursday morning, marking the strongest temblor recorded in the region since 1900, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake occurred at 5:21 a.m. local time at a depth of 3.5 miles (5.7 kilometers), with its epicenter about 27.8 miles southeast of the city of Spearman and roughly 68 miles from Amarillo, according to the USGS.
No injuries or deaths were reported. The USGS said in its assessment that the population in the affected area “resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist,” noting that the predominant vulnerable building types are unreinforced brick masonry and reinforced masonry construction.
Residents across the region described feeling the shaking. In Pampa, one Facebook user reported being “awakened by thunder-like rumble and shaking” around 5:20 a.m. A resident in Mobeetie said the shaking lasted about 20 seconds and knocked a picture off a shelf.
In White Deer, residents said the quake “shook the bed” and one person reported being thrown off balance. The tremor was also felt in western Oklahoma and southwestern Kansas, according to local media reports.
The earthquake ranks as the most powerful recorded in the Texas Panhandle in over 125 years of recordkeeping.