M 5.0 Earthquake Strikes 38 km SSE of Spearman, Texas
Areazine synthesizes this USGS earthquake report directly from USGS's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
A magnitude 5.0 ml earthquake occurred 38 km south-southeast of Spearman, Texas, at a depth of 5.7 km and was felt by 52 people.
What this USGS earthquake report tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by USGS on August 9, 2026 and geographically references Texas. Its severity classification of "medium" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken - "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to - Earthquakes - determines the monitoring protocol behind it, which shapes what follow-up action (checking for structural damage, watching for aftershocks, reviewing local building codes) is relevant and which agency holds authority over the assessment.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to verify its scope, source, and timestamp, then compare related notices without assuming that one record proves a broader trend.
Areazine pairs this record with the original agency URL so you can check the primary source before acting. Its related labels are earthquake, seismic, usgs, Texas.
What Happened
A M 5.0 ml earthquake occurred at 38 km SSE of Spearman, Texas, on 2026-07-23 at 12:21:43 UTC (Unix time 1784802103909). The event had a reviewed status and was recorded by 14 seismic stations.
Location Details
The epicenter was located at latitude 35.902, longitude -100.976, approximately 38 km south-southeast of Spearman, Texas. The depth of 5.6885 km classifies it as a shallow earthquake (less than 20 km).
Impact Assessment
The earthquake was felt by 52 people, with a maximum reported intensity (CDI) of 5 and an instrumental intensity (MMI) of 5.934. The alert level was green, and there was no tsunami advisory (tsunami field value: 0).
What You Should Know
Earthquakes of this magnitude are classified as moderate and can cause damage to poorly constructed buildings. Residents should be prepared for possible aftershocks and follow standard safety procedures such as dropping, covering, and holding on during shaking.
Source
Data from USGS: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/tx2026ojlaky
Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗
Related Earthquakes
All Earthquakes →Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8
Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this USGS earthquake report: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.
Similar body length
Nearest notices by article body length (1,048 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to August 9, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.