A magnitude 3.3 earthquake struck Uncertain, Texas, a small town along the Texas-Louisiana border, and shock waves were felt in Shreveport and beyond Thursday morning.
Louisiana residents are familiar with other types of natural disasters, especially hurricanes, but earthquakes can occasionally affect the state. Several earthquakes were recorded in northern Louisiana in 2024.
Compared to neighboring Texas, earthquakes are rare in Louisiana. But since 1930, dozens of earthquakes of 0.5 or higher on the Richter scale have rocked the Bayou State, according to U.S. Geological Survey maps.
Red River Parish has experienced an earthquake swarm this year, with several smaller earthquakes occurring in January, April and June. The strongest of this group was the magnitude 3.6 earthquake that occurred at Hall Summit on January 27th.
The strongest earthquake recorded in Louisiana was a magnitude 4.3 earthquake off the coast of Grand Isle in 2022.
How many earthquakes have occurred in Louisiana?
According to LSU’s Louisiana Geological Survey, Louisiana is considered to be at low risk for seismic activity.
U.S. Geological Survey maps show that since 1930 there have been 21 earthquakes in the Gulf of Mexico state and five in state waters, most of them in northern Louisiana. are.
Still, the state has not experienced strong earthquakes that are generally considered 6.0 or higher on the Richter scale and can cause damage to land and property.
What about Texas and other southern states?
Texas is not immune to earthquakes. More than 3,700 earthquakes have occurred in the Lone Star State since 1900, according to local television station KXAN.
Most earthquakes in Texas occur in the western part of the state, but many also occur around deep eastern Texas near the Louisiana border.
According to the USGS, Mississippi, Arkansas and Georgia are all at higher risk of seismic activity than Louisiana. Florida and North Dakota are the states with the fewest recorded earthquakes.
