These Texas Cities Are Most Vulnerable to Earthquakes

Normally you wouldn't think that Texas is prone to getting earthquakes but we do...quite regularly. In fact earlier this week on November 8th, we experienced a 5.3 magnitude earthquake in El Paso, Texas (you can see what people thought about it here). But what city is the most LIKELY to feel the earth shake? That's what we're here to find out.

Texas has a long history with earthquakes

While we may not get as many earthquakes as those on the West Coast (like California, Oregon or Washington), Texas has been getting plenty of them since the 1800s. While most of them are fairly weak, we've had at least 17 of a magnitude of 5 or greater starting since 1882; the strongest being in Valentine, Texas that experienced a 6.0 earthquake in 1931.

Which Texas city is most likely to feel an earthquake?

According to the Texas earthquake index, every city in the Lone Star State is given a number; the higher the number, the likely the city is to be hit by an earthquake. El Paso & Fort Bliss, Texas just missed the top 10 with an earthquake index rating of 1.01 for each city.

• #10 is Powderly, Texas [1.02]
• #9 is Peggy, Texas [1.02]
• #8 is Carthage, Texas [1.03]
• #7 is Goldsmith, Texas [1.04]
• #6 is Jacksonville, Texas [1.05]
• #5 is Lake Kiowa, Texas [1.09]
• #4 is Pineland, Texas [1.31]
• #3 is Dalhart, Texas [1.63]
• #2 is Milam, Texas [3.10]
• and #1 is Kermit, Texas [4.14]

The Texas Almanac even posted a graphic showing the entire state & the areas most prone to seismic activity. While most of the state is very unlikely to have one, the areas that ARE most likely are in the West Texas region & along the Mexican Border; including El Paso, Texas.

But regardless, you can still feel an earthquake anywhere in the state...

Texas is also no stranger to tornadoes either; you can see which Texas city is likely to get hit by a tornado here.

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