TexNet Records M5.3 and M4.1 Seismic Events in Reeves County, Texas
November 17, 2022
TexNet, the Texas state earthquake monitoring network, recorded Magnitude 5.3 and Magnitude 4.1 earthquakes at 3:32 p.m. and 4:39 p.m., respectively, on November 16th, 2022, in Reeves County, Texas. The events occurred 24.6 miles west of Mentone and 33 miles northwest of Pecos City at depths of approximately 30,512 and 24,278 feet underground with a depth uncertainty of 1,640 and 1,300 feet, using a statistical error that includes 68% of possible solutions.
“We are still investigating the data associated with these seismic events,” said Dr. Scott W. Tinker, the State Geologist of Texas, and the director of the Bureau of Economic Geology. “Our first concern, of course, is for any people who might have been affected by these earthquakes. The professional scientists on the TexNet team, led by Dr. Alexandros Savvaidis, are working diligently to analyze the data that we have received from the TexNet network of monitoring stations.”
TexNet has provided the most accurate information currently available to the U.S. Geological Survey, which reports earthquake activity across the nation, and to the Texas Department of Emergency Management, which provides the information to local governments and emergency responders. TexNet personnel post data collected about the state’s seismic events on the Texas Earthquake Catalog at: http://www.beg.utexas.edu/texnet-cisr/texnet/earthquake-catalog
TexNet was established by the 84th Texas Legislature in 2015 to purchase, install and maintain a statewide network of earthquake monitoring stations, which feed seismic data to a central hub at the Bureau of Economic Geology. Its purpose is to work toward determining the causes of earthquakes in Texas, and to lessen any future impact from these events to citizens and property. TexNet hosts a skilled team of scientists who gather and research the geologic and seismic data obtained by the network.
“TexNet is now one of the most advanced state-run earthquake monitoring networks in the nation, with over 170 monitoring stations in operation throughout the State of Texas,” Tinker said. “Our team of seismologists, geophysicists and other scientists is exceptional, and they are doing all they can to provide the best information possible about this event.”
For more information, contact Mark W. Blount at 512-471-1509 or mark.blount@beg.utexas.edu.