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Geophysicist Jana Pursley at the USGS's National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado said that according to early reports received by the agency, the quake was felt by more than 1,500 people over a large distance from Amarillo and Abilene in Texas to as far west as Carlsbad, New Mexico.Locals tweet:
"It's a sizable earthquake for that region," Pursley said, adding, "In that region such an event will be felt for a couple of hundred miles."
The quake was followed shortly after by a less-intense aftershock, and Pursley said there could be more going forward with declining magnitude.
"I haven't received any information about damages but it can crack stucco or driveways close to epicenter," she added.
A quake of similar magnitude struck West Texas last month. That Nov. 16 temblor was measured at 5.3 and had an epicenter about 95 miles (153 kilometers) west of Midland.
Comment: Meanwhile in Europe: Surprise magma chamber growing under Mediterranean submarine volcano Kolumbo