5.4 magnitude earthquake shakes Texas

A 5.4-magnitude earthquake hit an oil patch in West Texas, United States, on Friday, shaking structures with no apparent damage, US authorities said.

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The tremor was felt at 5:35 p.m. (2335 GMT) 22 kilometers north of the city of Midland, at a depth of 8 kilometers, the United States Institute of Geological Studies (USGS) reported.

The Midland National Weather Service office tweeted that it was to be the fourth strongest earthquake in Texas history.

A 3.3 magnitude aftershock occurred three minutes later, according to the USGS.

The tremor was felt over a wide area as far as the town of Lubbock, about 120 miles (190 kilometers) north of Midland, KLBK TV meteorologist Jacob Riley tweeted.

This earthquake comes exactly a month after another much weaker earthquake, which shook the Pecos area, also in West Texas, on the border with New Mexico, without causing any damage.


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