Texas Has - Almost - The Most Earthquakes Of All 50 United States

We're not all that used to earthquakes in Texas but, believe it or not, we're in the top freakin' 3 when it comes to annual 'quake totals across the USA.

When you say earthquake, most people think of "Cali" first. As many as they have, they aren't number 1 though. Alaska won that contest big time.

Alaska has, on average, over 19,000 earthquakes per year. California is in second place with almost 9K annually. Then comes Texas ...

The lone star state is way behind California but still ahead of the other 47 with 891 per year. Only the top 10 states hit triple digits, the other 40 went from 56 per year to 1.

Many earthquakes, especially (and thankfully) in Texas, are barely noticeable. Others, however, wreak incredible havoc. In Texas, the number of quakes is growing and it seems it's not all Mother Nature's doing.

According to this map, Texas mostly shakes around San Antonio, Dallas, Abilene, Odessa and west of Odessa, toward the Van Horn - Marfa area.

What Was The Strongest Earthquake In Texas History?

The strongest earthquake in Texas history happened pretty close to El Paso.

Texas’ strongest earthquake in history struck around 5:40 a.m. on Aug. 16, 1931. The magnitude 5.8 earthquake was centered about 7.5 miles southwest of Valentine, a small community in Presidio County, between El Paso and Big Bend. - KXAN

That one did its worst in Valentine, 160 miles east of El Paso. It damaged just about every building there, toppled chimneys and cracked both concrete and brick walls. It even spun tombstones in the graveyard around.