A widely felt earthquake with an epicenter in the Panhandle region occurred on June 19, 1936. Intensity V effects were noted at Gruver, White Deer, and Whittenberg, Texas, Kenton, Oklahoma, and Elkhart, Kansas. The area of perceptibility covered about 103,000 square kilometers.

On March 11, 1948, another shock in the Panhandle area caused minor damage — consisting mainly of cracked plaster — in northern Texas, a few places in northeastern New Mexico and northwestern Oklahoma, and one place in southeastern Colorado. The strongest effects (VI) were reported from Amarillo, Channing, Dalhart, Electric City, Panhandle, Per-ico, and Perryton. The felt area, which was slightly larger than that of the preceding earthquake, covered about 129,000 square kilometers.

The Texas Panhandle area was the cen-
ter for another moderate shock on June
20, 1951. Damage to plaster (VI) oc-
curred at Amarillo and Hereford. The
felt region extended from Lubbock to
Borger.

Four shocks over 6 hours affected an area of about 26,000 square kilometers in northeastern Texas and bordering portions of Arkansas and Louisiana on March 19, 1957. Press reports noted that a few objects were upset and at least one or two windows were broken. Newspaper office and police station switchboards were swamped with calls from alarmed residents. Intensity V effects were felt at Diana, Elkhart, Gladewater, Marshall, Nacogdoches, and Troup, Texas, and Magnolia, Arkansas.

A series of moderate earthquakes in
the Texas-Louisiana border region
near Hemphill started on April 23,
1964. Epicenters were determined on
April 23, 24, 27, and 28. There were
numerous additional shocks reported
felt at Pineland, Hemphill, and Mi-
lam. The only damage reported was
from the magnitude 4. 4 earthquake
on April 28 — wall paper and plaster
cracked at Hemphill (V). The magni-
tude of the other epicenters changed
from 3. 4 to 3. 7. Shocks were also felt
at Pineland on April 30 and May 7.
On June 2, three more shocks were re-
ported in the same area. The strongest
was measured at magnitude 4. 2; in-
tensities did not exceed IV.

Another moderate earthquake on August 16 awakened several people at Hemphill and there were some reports of cracked plaster (V). The shock was also felt at Bronson, Geneva, Milam, and Pineland.

The Texas Panhandle region experienced another tremor on July 20, 1966. The magnitude 4. 8 earthquake knocked books from a shelf in one home and was felt by nearly all (V) in Borger. At Amarillo, an observer in the courthouse reported a chair moved four or five inches. A similar effect was noted at the Federal Aviation Administration control tower at the Municipal Airport; observers thought a truck had hit the tower.

Several street signs were knocked down and windows were broken (VI) at Kermit from a magnitude 3. 4 earthquake on August 14, 1966. The shock was also felt at Wink, Texas, and Loco Hill, New Mexico.

Four small earthquakes occurred near El Paso on May 12, 1969. The first two shocks, 23 minutes apart, were measured at magnitude 3. 3 and 3. 4. One house in El Paso had hairline cracks in the ceiling and cracks in the cement driveway (VI). These earthquakes were also felt at Newman.

On Feb. 15, 1974, an earthquake in the Texas Panhandle caused plaster cracks (V) at Booker, Darrovzett, and Perryton. Similar effects were noted at Liberal, Kansas, and Texhoma and Woodward, Okla.. The magnitude 4. 5 shock was felt over an area of about 37,000 square kilometers.

This information was obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey. Historical data was published in Earthquake Information Bulletin, Volume 9, Number 3, May - June 1977, by Carl A. von Hake.