Louisiana rattled by strongest earthquake in decades
Louisiana rattled by strongest earthquake in decades
Greg Hilburn, Joel Shannon and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY NETWORK Thu, March 5, 2026 at 4:28 PM UTC
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Louisiana rattled by strongest earthquake in decades
An unusual earthquake early Thursday, March 5 in northwestern Louisiana awoke people from their sleep, shook furniture, rattled pipes and raised eyebrows due to its strength.
The U.S. Geological Survey previously reported that the magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck about 5:30 a.m. March 5 with its epicenter just north of Coushatta, about 50 miles from Shreveport. Later, the earthquake was upgraded to a magnitude 4.9.
The 4.9 earthquake is the strongest in the region in decades, USGS data shows.
Republican state Sen. Thomas Pressly of Shreveport, Louisiana said he was awakened by the earthquake.
"A 4.4 earthquake isn't insignificant," Pressly said. He joked that his wife slept through the event because she is a California native.
The USGS asked anyone near northwestern Louisiana to report if they felt the earthquake, and by mid-morning, reports had come in reporting shaking across state lines in eastern Texas and southwestern Arkansas.
No structural damage has yet been reported from the quake.
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How powerful is a magnitude 4.9 earthquake?
Magnitude measures the strength of an earthquake. Here are the effects of different magnitudes of earthquake, according to Michigan Technological University:
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Below 2.5: Generally not felt
2.5 to 5.4: Minor or no damage
5.5 to 6.0: Slight damage to buildings
6.1 to 6.9: Serious damage
7.0 to 7.9: Major earthquake. Serious damage.
8.0 or greater: Massive damage, can destroy communities
What's causing Shreveport earthquakes?: Centenary professor explains the phenomenon of minor earthquakes in Northwest Louisiana
How rare is an 4.9 earthquake in Louisiana?
Earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains are much more rare than they are in the West, but they do happen, the USGS says. When they strike, those earthquakes are often felt more widely than quakes of similar magnitudes in the West, even across an area up to 10 times larger.
That's true especially in the East, where rocks are much older, in some cases by millions of years. Older rocks have been exposed to more extreme temperatures and pressure, and faults have had more time to heal, making them harder and denser, so seismic waves travel across them more efficiently. In the West, faults are newer and absorb more of the seismic wave energy is absorbed and doesn't spread as far.
Earthquakes aren't unheard of in Louisiana, but the magnitude of this one sets it apart. Since early December, there have been eight earthquakes in northwestern Louisiana, ranging from magnitude 2.6 to 3.1, AccuWeather reported. The quake on March 5 was the strongest on land in at least two decades; a 5.3 quake was recorded in 2006 and another 4.9 in 1978 in the Gulf, according to AccuWeather.
This story has been to add new information.
Contributing: Beth Weise, USA TODAY
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Louisiana earthquake shakes people awake, rattles pipes, furniture
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