Earthquake felt in East El Paso

by Daniel Borunda / El Paso Timeselpasotimes.com
Posted: 03/06/2012 09:13:46 AM MST

The U.S. Geological Survey's website reported a small earthquake near El Paso on Monday night.

The 2.5-magnitude quake occurred at 8:11 p.m., with an epicenter about 8 miles from El Paso.

The residents near George Dieter Drive on the far East Side reported a shaking at about the same time the U.S. Geological Service stated the temblor took place.

No damage was reported by local law-enforcement officials Monday night.

Commenters on the El Paso Times' Facebook page reported feeling the earthquake at George Dieter and Pellicano, near Montwood High School, and near Pebble Hills Boulevard.

Noemi Rojas, who lives near the intersection of Yarbrough and Montwood drives, in the Eastwood High School area, said she felt the ground shake around 8:15 p.m.

"I got a bunch of my friends in my neighborhood confirming that they felt the tremor, too, on Facebook," Rojas said Monday night.

"At first I thought it was a sonic boom without the sound that follows it," she said. "My husband was in another part of the house and he asked me if I had felt it and I said, 'Yes, what was that?' "

The U.S. Geological Survey said that earthquakes with magnitudes of about 2.0 or less are called microearthquakes and are not commonly felt by people. A 2.0-magnitude earthquake is usually only felt by a few people who are at rest, especially on the upper floors of buildings, and may cause delicately suspended objects to swing.
"I was laying down and it felt like a semi-truck passing by," said Michael Ortiz, a resident of the Los Paseos neighborhood in far East El Paso.

A supervisor with 911 said they had received calls about the shaking. The 911 official said that Fort Bliss, White Sands Missile Range, the El Paso International Airport and the El Paso Fire Department had nothing occurring at the time that could have caused the shaking.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com; 546-6102.

Earthquake felt in East El Paso; see interactive map - El Paso Times