Watch: Cameras capture moment magnitude 5.2 earthquake shakes West Texas
Many residents in El Paso and southeastern New Mexico reported on social media that they ran out of bed when the shaking started and that the quake lasted for about 20-30 seconds.
5.2 magnitude earthquake rattles West Texas
Residents of West Texas had a rude awakening Nov. 8, 2023, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake shook the region.
EL PASO, Texas – Residents of West Texas were rudely awoken Wednesday morning by an earthquake of significant magnitude, one of the strongest the region has experienced since the beginning of the century.
The magnitude 5.2 earthquake caused noticeable tremors captured on a KFOX 14 camera pointed toward the El Paso International Airport from the Starlight Event Center.
WEST TEXAS RATTLED BY ONE OF STATE’S STRONGEST EARTHQUAKES OVER PAST 123 YEARS
El Paso, TX camera captures shaking from magnitude 5.2 earthquake
Video from a KFOX 14 camera at the Starlight Event Center looking at the El Paso International Airport captured shaking during a magnitude 5.2 earthquake in western Texas early Wednesday morning.
The earthquake hit at 3:27 a.m. MST and was centered in a rural area located approximately halfway between Midland and El Paso, around 58 miles south-southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake was measured at a depth of about 5 miles.
There were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries.
A number of people in El Paso and southeastern New Mexico took to social media to report that they felt a strong shaking of the ground beneath their feet.
Several individuals replied to the National Weather Service's post on social media platform X, sharing their experience of waking up and running out of bed when the shaking began. The earthquake was said to have lasted between 20 and 30 seconds.
However, Rodolfo Enrique Amador Jr. only realized an earthquake occurred in El Paso after checking his CCTV footage.
The quake "was felt by many, not me," Amador said. "I saw the news in the morning and checked my cameras, and there was the footage."
Earthquake gives some a rude awakening in West Texas
CCTV footage from Rodolfo Enrique Amador Jr. captured the effect of the magnitude 5.2 quake, which the USGS said hit at Coalson Draw at around 3:27 a.m. MST Wednesday.
The FOX Forecast Center said this was the fourth-strongest earthquake recorded in Texas since 1900. The three stronger quakes were a 5.8 quake in Valentine in 1931, a 5.7 quake near Marathon in April 1995 and a 5.4 quake in Coalson Draw in November 2021.
Only four earthquakes with magnitudes of 5.0 or higher have occurred in Texas since 2000.