The U.S. Geological Survey reports the 3.9 magnitude quake occurred at 4:51 a.m. local time about 6 miles (10 km) southwest of the Karnes County town of Falls City, in an area near the border with Wilson County.
The agency said the quake was centered at a depth of about 3 miles (5 km).
Law enforcement agencies said that residents from as far south as Kenedy and as far north as the north side of San Antonio reported feeling the earthquake.
Such seismic activity is uncommon in Texas, and Monday’s tremor was due to land compression and settling rather than tectonic movement, which is common along the U.S. West coast and other areas around the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”
A minor earthquake was felt by some people in Amarillo on March 30, 2002. That Panhandle city also recorded seven other minor earthquakes in 2000.
The most powerful tremor in recorded Texas history registered a magnitude of 5.8 when it shook the mountainous Big Bend community of Valentine in 1931, severely damaging several buildings.
