In the early morning hours of August 16, 1931, a powerful
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
occurred in
West Texas
West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio.
No consensus exists on the boundary betwee ...
with a maximum
Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe''). Estimates of its
magnitude range between 5.8–6.4
mb, making it the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Texas history. Its
epicenter was near the town of
Valentine, Texas
Valentine is a town in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The population was 134 at the 2010 census, down from 187 at the 2000 census.
Description
The town is the only incorporated municipality in Jeff Davis County. Its name refers to th ...
; there, the earthquake caused damage to many homes and buildings. The earthquake may have been caused by movement along
oblique-slip
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...
faulting in West Texas, the most seismically-active region in the state. Shaking from the earthquake was perceptible within a radius of the epicenter, affecting four U.S. states and northern Mexico. Several
foreshock
A foreshock is an earthquake that occurs before a larger seismic event (the mainshock) and is related to it in both time and space. The designation of an earthquake as ''foreshock'', ''mainshock'' or aftershock is only possible after the full sequ ...
s and
aftershock
In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in the same area of the main shock, caused as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthquakes can have hundreds to thousand ...
s 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).
Geology
![2018 Long-term National Seismic Hazard Map (2018nshm-longterm)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/2018_Long-term_National_Seismic_Hazard_Map_%282018nshm-longterm%29.jpg)
The largest earthquakes in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
history have occurred in
West Texas
West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio.
No consensus exists on the boundary betwee ...
, which is the state's most seismically active region. Earthquakes have been reported in
El Paso
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...
near the state's westernmost extentsince as early as 1887. There are several
faultline
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...
s 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.
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
Rake may refer to:
* Rake (stock character), a man habituated to immoral conduct
* Rake (theatre), the artificial slope of a theatre stage
Science and technology
* Rake receiver, a radio receiver
* Rake (geology), the angle between a feature on a ...
of –150°.
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.
Though
no surface rupture was reported in connection with the earthquake along a fault,
cracks in the
alluvium
Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...
within the nearby Quitman Canyon developed during the earthquake, retaining depths of and widths as wide as at least 17 years after the earthquake.
Earthquake
The main Valentine earthquake occurred at 5:40 a.m.
Central Standard Time
The North American Central Time Zone (CT) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, some Caribbean Islands, and part of the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Central Standard Time (CST) is six hours behind Coordinate ...
(11:40
UTC) on August 16, 1931, with an
epicenter near , roughly 7 mi (12 km) southwest of Valentine, Texas, and towards the southeastern end of the Rio Grande rift.
The earthquake was felt across most of Texas and in portions of
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
,
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, and northern
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, producing perceptible shaking as far as away from the epicenter.
Its
hypocenter
In seismology, a hypocenter or hypocentre () is the point of origin of an earthquake or a subsurface nuclear explosion. A synonym is the focus of an earthquake.
Earthquakes
An earthquake's hypocenter is the position where the strain energy s ...
was beneath the Lobo Valley, a northwest-trending
alluvial plain
An alluvial plain is a largely flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A floodplain is part of the process, being the sma ...
.
Estimates for its
magnitude range between
mb 5.6–6.4, making it the strongest earthquake in Texas on record.
The
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
(USGS) lists the earthquake as having a magnitude of
mbLg 5.8 based on the amplitude of
short-period surface Lg waves.
The
ISC–GEM catalogue lists the earthquake as having a magnitude of M
w 6.3.
Seismographs as far as
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
, recorded both
foreshock
A foreshock is an earthquake that occurs before a larger seismic event (the mainshock) and is related to it in both time and space. The designation of an earthquake as ''foreshock'', ''mainshock'' or aftershock is only possible after the full sequ ...
s and
aftershock
In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in the same area of the main shock, caused as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthquakes can have hundreds to thousand ...
s 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.
The aftershock had a magnitude of approximately 4.2 and produced a maximum intensity of V (''Moderate'').
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
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
.
Damage
![2014-07-26 Valentine Buildings](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/2014-07-26_Valentine_Buildings.jpg)
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
The Rossi–Forel scale was one of the first seismic scales to represent earthquake intensities. Developed by Michele Stefano de Rossi, Michele Stefano Conte de Rossi of Italy and François-Alphonse Forel of Switzerland during the late 19th century ...
and level VIII (''Severe'') on the
Modified Mercalli scale.
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
Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...
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.
While there were no fatalities, some minor injuries resulted from falling
adobe
Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...
.
The cost of damage in Valentine amounted to $50,000–$75,000.
Shaking from the earthquake was noticed in the
Texas Panhandle, rocking buildings and awakening many people. The Mercalli intensity in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
was estimated to be as high as III (''Weak''). The intensity was mild in
Ciudad Jiménez
Jiménez (officially, José Mariano Jiménez) is a city and seat of the municipality of Jiménez, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. As of 2010, the city had a population of 34,281, up from 33,567 as of 2005. Instituto Nacional de Est ...
, 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.
Several
landslide
Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...
s 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
Pilares is a neighborhood in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over ...
and
Porvenir El Porvenir or Porvenir (Spanish: "The Future") may refer to:
Places
*Porvenir Municipality, Bolivia
*Porvenir, Pando, Bolivia
*Porvenir, Chile
*Porvenir Volcano, Costa Rica
*Porvenir, Texas, United States
*El Porvenir Parish, Palanda Canton, Zamo ...
. In
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
, 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
The following is a list of notable earthquakes and tsunamis which had their epicenter in areas that are now part of the United States with the latter affecting areas of the United States. Those in ''italics'' were not part of the United States whe ...
* 1995 Marathon earthquake
Striking on April 13, 1995, the 1995 Marathon earthquake was recorded at moment magnitude of 5.7. It rattled buildings near the epicenter.
Geography
The earthquake struck western Texas with magnitude 5.7 force. It was the 3rd largest earthquak ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valentine earthquake, 1931
1931 earthquakes
History of Texas
Earthquakes in the United States
Natural disasters in Texas
1931 natural disasters in the United States
1931 in Texas
August 1931 events
Jeff Davis County, Texas