A reviewed magnitude 5.0 earthquake shook the Texas Panhandle at 5:21 a.m. CDT Thursday, July 23, with residents in multiple Amarillo ZIP codes reporting that they felt it.
The U.S. Geological Survey placed the epicenter 38 kilometers south-southeast of Spearman—about 24 miles from Spearman, 25 miles from Pampa and 67 miles northeast of Amarillo. The quake was shallow, at about 5.7 kilometers, or 3.5 miles, below the surface.
What the official data shows
- Magnitude: 5.0, reviewed
- Time: 5:21:43 a.m. CDT on July 23
- Location: 38 kilometers south-southeast of Spearman
- Depth: 5.7 kilometers, or about 3.5 miles
- USGS alert: Green, with no tsunami flag
By 9:47 a.m. CDT, the USGS had received 338 responses through its “Did You Feel It?” system. The response data included multiple Amarillo ZIP codes, while stronger community shaking was reported closer to the epicenter around Miami, Pampa and Spearman.
Reports also reached the Dallas-Fort Worth area
The USGS response file included individual submissions from ZIP codes in Dallas, Lewisville and Prosper, roughly 480 to 492 kilometers from the epicenter. Those entries are voluntary citizen reports, not instrument readings, and they do not mean the entire DFW region experienced the same level of shaking.
Was Amarillo the epicenter?
No. The epicenter was northeast of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle, near the Pampa-Spearman area. “Amarillo earthquake” accurately describes where many people felt the tremor, but not where it began.
How unusual was this earthquake?
Some early reports described Thursday’s quake as the strongest in the Panhandle in more than a century. The historical record needs context. A current USGS catalog search places this magnitude 5.0 above the other magnitude-4-or-greater events listed in a broad Panhandle box since 1900, but a University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology compendium says the largest known Panhandle earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 5.4. Historical earthquake magnitudes are reconstructed estimates and can differ by catalog and method.
What to do if shaking resumes
Aftershocks can follow a main earthquake, and their exact timing cannot be predicted. If you feel more shaking, the USGS guidance is simple: Drop, Cover and Hold On. Stay away from windows and objects that could fall. Residents who felt Thursday’s quake can add a report to the USGS “Did You Feel It?” survey.
This is a developing brief. The USGS may revise the magnitude, depth, felt-report count or impact data as additional information is reviewed.
