M2.0 Earthquake near Morse, United States — 28 May 2026, 17:15 UTC
A minor earthquake of magnitude 2.0 was recorded near Morse, United States on , with an epicentre 12 km south-southeast of Morse, at a focal depth of 2.3 km. It ranked as the 1560th strongest of 8222 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2026-05-28 17:15:21
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 2.0 (minor)
Focal depth: 2.3 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 35.9650, -101.4070
Location: 12 km SSE of Morse, Texas
Country: United States
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Minor earthquakes in this range are felt by people close to the epicentre as a brief jolt or rattle, but they very rarely cause any damage.
A magnitude 2.0 earthquake radiates roughly 15 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 62, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.
What the magnitude scale actually measures →
When it happened locally
That is about 10:29 local solar time at the epicentre, during the morning.
This event was shallower than 77% of the 154,243 earthquakes recorded in the United States in our catalogue and stronger than 82% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 35.9650, -101.4070 — 12 km south-southeast of Morse. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 5.0 earthquake 39 km east of here on 23 July 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are Spearman (39 km east), Fritch (42 km southwest), Miami (42 km east) and Skellytown (50 km south-southeast).
Why the 2 km depth matters
At 2 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, events this small are usually detected by instruments rather than people. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M2.0 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event.
1 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.0 event near Spearman on 23 July 2026. This M2.0 event released about 31,623 times less energy than that event.
10 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 3 of them in the past 30 days.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the May 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in the United States during May 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M5.0 earthquake near Spearman, United States — (39 km E)
- M2.2 earthquake near Fritch, United States — (42 km SW)
- M1.5 earthquake near Miami, United States — (42 km E)
- M2.7 earthquake near Skellytown, United States — (45 km SSE)
- M2.5 earthquake near Skellytown, United States — (50 km SSE)
- M2.6 earthquake near Pampa, United States — (57 km SE)
- M2.0 earthquake near Boys Ranch, United States — (74 km SW)
- M2.8 earthquake near Amarillo, United States — (77 km SSW)
- M2.9 earthquake near Amarillo, United States — (82 km SSW)
- M2.7 earthquake near Amarillo, United States — (83 km SSW)
Other recent earthquakes in the United States
- M1.0 earthquake near Midland, United States —
- M1.6 earthquake near Stevens Village, United States —
- M0.8 earthquake near Gorman, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Whites City, United States —
- M1.8 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Toyah, United States —
- M1.1 earthquake near The Geysers, United States —
- M2.7 earthquake near Hebgen Lake Estates, United States —
- M3.0 earthquake near Honomu, United States —
- M1.7 earthquake near Beluga, United States —
Other magnitude 2 earthquakes worldwide
- M1.9 earthquake near Whites City, United States —
- M1.8 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Toyah, United States —
- M1.7 earthquake near Beluga, United States —
- M1.7 earthquake near Harding-Birch Lakes, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Barstow, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Coyanosa, United States —
- M1.7 earthquake near Tonopah, United States —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Morse?
It measured magnitude 2.0 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 2.0 earthquake radiates roughly 15 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Morse?
The focus was 2 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.
Was the Morse earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 2.0 and a focal depth of 2 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.
When did the earthquake near Morse happen?
28 May 2026 at 17:15 UTC.
Was there a tsunami?
No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.
Have there been aftershocks?
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event.
How often do earthquakes happen near Morse?
1 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.0 event near Spearman on 23 July 2026. This M2.0 event released about 31,623 times less energy than that event.