NBC News reports a magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck West Texas on Saturday night, part of a swarm of earthquakes to rock the area near the Texas border with New Mexico, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The temblor struck at 7:47 p.m. about 35 miles south of Whites City, New Mexico, the USGS said. The area is roughly midway between the Texas cities of Midland and El Paso.
The quake occurred nearly 4 miles beneath the earth’s surface, the survey said.
Because the region has a sparse population, few residents were affected, the USGS said. Ground failure and landslides were unlikely, as was liquifaction, when soil behaves like a fluid, it said.
The temblor was part of a swarm of 46 mostly small earthquakes in the area since early April, USGS data indicates. There’s a 65% chance of a strong aftershock with a week, it said.
NBC affiliate KTSM of El Paso, more than 100 miles west of the area, reported the 5.3 temblor was the strongest of three stronger-than-usual earthquakes to rock the area Saturday night, which also included magnitude 3.4 and 2.9 quakes.
No injuries were reported.