Earthquake in El Paso? 5.3 magnitude quake hits West Texas and New Mexico late Saturday
El Pasoans might have felt some shaking from an earthquake.
A 5.3 magnitude earthquake shook El Paso, Texas, late Saturday, May 3, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake occurred around 7:47 p.m. MT, nearly 35 miles west of Whites City, New Mexico, and about 149 miles from El Paso.
The earthquake struck at a depth of 6.3 kilometers, and some strong shaking could be felt in the immediate area, according to the USGS. Soon after the 5.3 magnitude quake, another earthquake with a magnitude of 2.3 hit the same area.
Story is developing. Check back for updates.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso earthquake 2025: West Texas and NM hit by 5.3 magnitude quake

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mount Etna still smoldering day after eruption, drone video shows
Europe's largest and most active volcano sent people scurrying on Monday, June 2, when it erupted, throwing plumes of ash and smoke into the air. Mount Etna, an active stratovolcano located on the eastern coast of Sicily, Italy, is known for its frequent eruptions, which produce everything from huge explosions and lava flows to simple ash emissions, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Monday's activity was believed to be a "pyroclastic flow," according to a translated post shared by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). This means the eruption was a combination of ash, rock, and gas, "probably produced by the collapse of material from the northern side of the Southeast Crater." The local alerts for volcanic activity were downgraded to yellow as of Tuesday, a more typical rating for the area. No injuries were reported, no lava flow was spotted and operations at the nearby Catania airport remained normal after the eruption. Drone footage captured the day after shows the volcano continuing to smolder as gas escapes into the atmosphere. Contributing: Taylor Ardrey, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mount Etna volcano eruption: Drone video captures scene a day later
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Researcher explains why earthquakes are rattling parts of New Mexico
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – While you may think earthquakes are a rarity in New Mexico, think again. Dr. Urbi Basu, manager of the New Mexico Tech Seismological Observatory, said earthquakes regularly happen in the state. 'We regularly see earthquakes of magnitude ones or twos, so people don't feel it,' Basu explained. Basu said there are dozens and dozens of fault lines in the state. In fact, the Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources said that there are more than 160 quaternary faults — or faults that have been seen on the surface of the Earth — within the past 1.6 million years. Among the most prominent is the Rio Grande rift, which runs from central Colorado down to Chihuahua, Mexico. 'So, the Rio Grande rift, which is like a north-south trending rift along which is the Rio Grande Valley. So, that's a series of what we call normal faults, which is slowly extending in the east-west direction. So, we know a lot about these existing faults through several years of geologic mapping through the bureau,' Basu said. The rift follows the river, which played an important role in the development of the state. But according to Dr. Basu and research being conducted at New Mexico Tech, we're now seeing an increase in the amount of seismic activity. Quidditch meets robotics: How drone soccer at this Albuquerque school is inspiring students 'In the last four or five years, we have seen a rise in induced seismicity, which is earthquakes caused by human activity,' Basu explained. According to data from the seismology observatory, there have been more than 80 earthquakes measuring above 2.0 on the Richter scale between January 1 and May 31 of 2025 alone. Multiple academic studies have shown a direct link between hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and an increase in earthquakes. Additionally, data from the U.S. Geological Survey found an increase in the number of quakes within a 100-mile radius of fracking sites throughout the southern half of the United States. 'That technique creates a lot of wastewater or salt water, which is reinjected back into the formations, shallow formations. And this injecting of water causes stress changes in existing faults. And that is kind of the main reasons of oil… and earthquakes,' Basu said. It's no surprise, then, that the southeastern part of the state is seeing far more seismic activity than other parts. However, considering the economic impact the oil and gas industry has on the state, it's unlikely the practice will stop any time soon. That's where active monitoring comes into play. 'They use our earthquake data and they create something called like the seismicity response areas, SRAs. So, if there is an earthquake 2.5 or higher, there are restrictions about how much disposal volumes can occur. Companies might have to lower their disposal volumes, stop injecting for a few days, or have to decide if they can inject there as well. So, our data is really important to help the state in creating all those regulations,' said Basu. The observatory currently has 16 monitoring stations throughout the state, with 11 located in the southeast. They plan to upgrade those stations in the near future, as well as add 15 additional monitoring stations statewide. 'Without having the stations, we would not know of a magnitude three earthquake in the Socorro area or the Albuquerque area. So we would not understand the hazard risk,' Basu explained. Dr. Basu said the USGS website features a 'Did You Feel It?' page where citizens can report incidents themselves, which will help scientists understand the effects of seismic activity on the community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Video captures small eruption at Yellowstone pool, 1 year after dangerous blast
Video captures small eruption at Yellowstone pool, 1 year after dangerous blast Show Caption Hide Caption Yellowstone thermal pool eruption caught on web camera Nearly a year after a large hydrothermal explosion, a webcam captured a small eruption at the same basin in Yellowstone National Park. A newly-installed webcam captured a hydrothermal eruption at Yellowstone National Park, less than a year after a sizeable explosion destroyed the same area. The webcam captured a small eruption at Black Diamond Pool in Yellowstone's Biscuit Basin − just north of Old Faithful − at 8:39 p.m. MDT on May 31, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The webcam was installed on May 14 as a way to track hydrothermal activity at Black Diamond Pool following a dangerously large explosion at the site in July 2024. Though the May 31 eruption is the only one caught on official video, the USGS has received several reports of other sporadic eruptions over the past year. Watch the eruption "It is likely that these small eruptions are a result of the hydrothermal plumbing system for the pool adjusting after the major disruption of the larger explosion last summer," USGS Scientist-in-Charge Michael Poland told USA TODAY. Previously: A baffling, dangerous explosion in Yellowstone: What is a hydrothermal explosion? What causes a hydrothermal explosion? A hydrothermal explosion occurs when hot water in a volcano system turns into steam in a confined area. A sudden drop in pressure causes rapid expansion of the high-temperature fluids and a crater-forming eruption. How the 2024 explosion at Biscuit Basin affected Black Diamond Pool Watch: Hydrothermal explosion at Yellowstone sends guests running Video captured the moments when a hydrothermal explosion terrified people visiting Yellowstone National Park. A larger, more dangerous hydrothermal explosion occurred at Biscuit Basin on July 23, 2024, sending steam and debris hundreds of feet in the area. A nearby boardwalk was destroyed and some of the rocks near the explosion site weighed hundreds of pounds, according to the National Park Service. Although visitors were at the basin during the explosion, no injuries were reported. As a result of the explosion, Black Diamond Pool changed shape, the National Park Service reported. As of June 3, the parking lot and boardwalk at Biscuit Basin remained closed due to the possibility of another hydrothermal event, the National Park Service's website stated. Can you watch the livestream at home? No. Livestreaming is not supported at Black Diamond Pool. However, video is recorded on-site and new images are posted on the U.S. Geological Survey website every 15 minutes. Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@