Three earthquakes rattle West Texas in two hours, including 4.0 magnitude quake

A 4.0 magnitude earthquake rattled West Texas on New Year’s Eve, the largest in a series of three quakes within hours, officials say.

The largest earthquake rumbled near Stanton about 2:45 p.m. Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Over two dozen people reported feeling quake.

The earthquake followed a 3.3 magnitude quake at 12:21 p.m. and a 3.6 magnitude quake about 1:12 p.m. Fewer people reported feeling the earlier earthquakes.

Stanton is a small city along Interstate 20 about 20 miles northeast of Midland.

Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of an earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey says. It replaces the old Richter scale.

Quakes between 2.5 and 5.4 magnitude are often felt but rarely cause much damage, according to Michigan Tech.

This story was originally published December 31, 2020 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Three earthquakes rattle West Texas in two hours, including 4.0 magnitude quake."