1931 Valentine earthquake

Most powerful earthquake in Texas history December 2022 January 2023 1931 Valentine earthquake 1931 Valentine, Texas earthquake ShakeMap.jpg Shake map showing the epicenter of the earthquake in Virginia USGS ShakeMap Texas 1931-08-16 11:40:25 1931 8 16 05:40 CST (UTC−06:00) iscgem906944 906944 b 5.8 – 6.4 y VIII 10 km on 30.502 -104.575 inline, title (USGS) 30.66 -104.37 inline (ISC–GEM) Oblique-slip Southwestern U.S., Northern Mexico No fatalities $50,000–$75,000 (1931 USD) In the early morning hours of August 16, 1931, a powerful earthquake occurred in West Texas with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). Estimates of its magnitude range between 5.8 and 6.4 mb, making it the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Texas history. Its epicenter was near the town of Valentine, Texas; there, the earthquake caused damage to many homes and buildings.7 February 2023 Quake Stricken in Texas https://www.texasce.org/tce-news/quake-stricken-in-texas/ The earthquake may have been caused by movement along oblique-slip faulting in West Texas, the most seismically active region in the state. Shaking from the earthquake was perceptible within a 400 mi radius of the epicenter, affecting four U.S. states and northern Mexico. Several foreshocks and aftershocks accompanied the primary temblor, with the aftershocks continuing until at least November 3, 1931. The main earthquake caused no fatalities, though several people sustained minor injuries; the damage in Valentine amounted to $50,000–$75,000 ($962,195–$1,443,293 today).Inflation Calculator Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis https://www.minneapolisfed.org:443/about-us/monetary-policy/inflation-calculator 2023-02-07 minneapolisfed.org Geology Geology of Texas thumb|left|West Texas has the highest seismic hazard of any region in Texas.|alt=Contour map of seismic hazard across the United States The largest earthquakes in Texas history have occurred in West Texas, which is the state's most seismically active region. Earthquakes have been reported in El Pasonear the state's westernmost extentsince as early as 1887. There are several faults in the region, including the Mayfield Fault, Rim Rock Fault, and Valentine Fault, in addition to other major geologic features such as the Central Basin Platform, the Ouachita Tectonic Front, and the Rio Grande rift. The 1931 Valentine earthquake may have been generated by movement along either the Mayfield or Rim Rock Faults, though no investigation of fault displacement was performed in the area after the earthquake.18–21 One 1987 study published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America suggested that the earthquake was caused by either normal or strike-slip faulting at a depth of 6 mi (10 km), with a dip of 54° to the east, a strike of 10–20° and a rake of –150°.Doser Diane I. The 16 August 1931 Valentine, Texas, earthquake: Evidence for normal faulting in west Texas Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America December 1987 77 6 2005–2017 10.1785/BSSA0770062005 Seismological Society of America July 11, 2025 The tremor may have resulted in broad subsidence of 4 in (11 mm) over a 10–20 mi (20–30 km) long stretch near Valentine.21 Though no surface rupture was reported in connection with the earthquake along a fault,Collins E. W. Raney R. A. Quaternary faults of west Texas 89th Annual Meeting of the Cordilleran Section and the 46th Annual Meeting of the Rock Mountain Section of the Geological Society of America Reno, Nevada May 19–21, 1993 5342399 128513416 cracks in the alluvium within the nearby Quitman Canyon developed during the earthquake, retaining depths of 7 ft and widths as wide as 3 ft at least 17 years after the earthquake.Albritron Claude C. Jr. Fred Smith J. Jr. Geology of the Sierra Blanca Area, Hudspeth County, Texas Structure 1965 479 United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 111 United States Government Printing Office Earthquake The main Valentine earthquake occurred at 5:40 a.m. Central Standard Time (11:40 UTC) on August 16, 1931, with an epicenter near 30.502 N 104.575 W, roughly 7 mi (12 km) southwest of Valentine, Texas, and towards the southeastern end of the Rio Grande rift.Doser Diane I. Galvan Paulo Determining Location and Magnitude of Historical (Pre-1963) Events in the Rio Grande Rift Region Using Intensity Information Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America May 2015 105 3 1562–1575 10.1785/0120140264 2015BuSSA.105.1562D 131422395 The earthquake was felt across most of Texas and in portions of Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and northern Mexico, producing perceptible shaking as far as 400 mi away from the epicenter.147Bodle R. R. Preliminary report on the southwest Texas earthquake of August 16, 1931 Seismological Research Letters December 1931 3 3 1–3 10.1785/gssrl.3.3.1 1931SeiRL...3c...1. Its hypocenter was beneath the Lobo Valley, a northwest-trending alluvial plain.Gordon David W. Revised Instrumental Hypocenters and Correlation of Earthquake Locations and Tectonics in the Central United States 1988 479 United States Geological Survey Professional Paper United States Government Printing Office Estimates for its magnitude range between mb 5.6–6.4, making it the strongest earthquake in Texas on record.Dumas David B. Dorman H. James Latham Gary V. A reevaluation of the August 16, 1931 Texas earthquake Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America August 1980 70 4 1171–1180 10.1785/BSSA0700041171 July 11, 2025 1171 The United States Geological Survey (USGS) lists the earthquake as having a magnitude of mbLg 5.8 based on the amplitude of short-period surface Lg waves.M 5.8 – 12 km SW of Valentine, Texas https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ushis877/executive Earthquake Hazards Program United States Geological Survey December 19, 2022 The ISC–GEM catalogue lists the earthquake as having a magnitude of Mw 6.3. Seismographs as far as St. Louis, Missouri, recorded both foreshocks and aftershocks beginning on August 16 and continuing well after the main earthquake. The foreshocks drove many people to sleep outdoors, possibly mitigating human casualties caused by the main shock. Numerous aftershocks occurred after the main tremor, particularly in the ensuing eight hours. The strongest aftershock occurred at 1:37 p.m. CST (19:37 UTC) on August 18, cracking walls in Valentine and stopping clocks in El Paso.153 The aftershock had a magnitude of approximately 4.2 and produced a maximum intensity of V (Moderate).152von Hake C. A. Earthquake history of Texas Earthquake Information Bulletin 1977 9 3 30–32 https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70162471 United States Geological SurveyEarthquakes in Texas https://www.texasalmanac.com/articles/earthquakes-in-texas Texas Almanac Texas State Historical Association January 20, 2022 2022 A magnitude 3.0 or 3.2 aftershock occurred near Valentine at 9:50 a.m. CST (15:50 UTC) on November 3 and was detected by a seismometer in Tucson, Arizona.Frohlich Cliff Davis Scott D. Texas earthquakes 2002 University of Texas Press Austin, Texas 9780292725508 614456184153 Damage thumb|left|Valentine, Texas, in 2014|alt=Photograph of buildings in Valentine Shaking from the earthquake was most intense in the Valentine, Texas, area. At Valentine, the shaking intensity reached level VIII (Damaging tremor) on the Rossi–Forel scale and level VIII (Severe) on the Modified Mercalli scale.Byerly Perry The Texas earthquake of August 16, 1931 Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America April 1934 24 2 81–99 10.1785/BSSA0240020081 1934BuSSA..24...81B Every building in the town excluding those made from wood frames sustained damage. Many chimneys toppled or cracked following the quake. The local school facility was damaged beyond repair, and its yard sustained minor cracks. Buildings built with adobe had walls collapse, while wooden structures displayed cracked ceilings. Other walls consisting of concrete, brick, and similar materials had large cracks. Damage also occurred in the counties of Brewster, Culberson, Jeff Davis, and Presidio.Stover C. W. Coffman J. L. Seismicity of the United States, 1568–1989 (Revised) https://books.google.com/books?id=bY0KAQAAIAAJ United States Geological Survey professional paper 1527 1993 United States Government Printing Office 362, 364 While there were no fatalities, some minor injuries resulted from falling adobe.149 The cost of damage in Valentine amounted to $50,000–$75,000.Valentine Is Hard Hit https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36641614/el-paso-times-august-17-1931page-7/ Newspapers.com December 21, 2022 El Paso Times 227 August 17, 1931 El Paso, Texas 7 Shaking from the earthquake was noticed in the Texas Panhandle, rocking buildings and awakening many people. The Mercalli intensity in Houston was estimated to be as high as III (Weak). The intensity was mild in Ciudad Jiménez, 250 mi (410 km) to the south in Mexico. Although the Houston Post-Dispatch attributed the collapse of homes in Oaxaca City to the Valentine earthquake despite being over 1,080 mi (1,750 km) away from the epicenter, the considerable distance suggested that such effects were caused by a more local earthquake.151 Several landslides resulted from the tremor. Such incidents took place in the Van Horn Mountains, the Chisos Mountains, southwest of Lobo, near the Big Bend, and to the northwest near Pilares and Porvenir. In New Mexico, the Guadalupe Mountains also hosted landslides; in Picacho, rock- and mudslides were reported. Hydrologic issues occurred in several artificial water bodies, leading to muddied water. See also List of earthquakes in 1931 List of earthquakes in the United States 1995 Marathon earthquake References ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2009) http://www.isc.ac.uk/iscgem/index.php ISC 2015 International Seismological Centre Version 2.0 External links 906944 Category:1931 earthquakes Category:Earthquakes in Texas Category:1931 natural disasters in the United States Category:1931 in Texas Category:August 1931 in the United States Category:Jeff Davis County, Texas