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Shallow 4.9 Quake Rattles Northwest Louisiana, Largest Recorded on State Soil

No injuries or structural damage have been confirmed following the early-morning jolt.

Overview

  • USGS measured the quake at magnitude 4.9 with an epicenter near Edgefield/Coushatta in Red River Parish at a depth of about 3.1 miles around 5:30 a.m. CT on March 5.
  • The event was initially listed as magnitude 4.4 before USGS upgraded it to 4.9 later that morning.
  • More than 1,100 felt reports reached USGS from across northwest Louisiana into southern Arkansas and western Texas, with security camera footage capturing the shaking.
  • The temblor ranks as the strongest on Louisiana land and the second-strongest overall in state records, trailing a magnitude 5.3 offshore quake near Grand Isle in 2006.
  • Local authorities coordinated with the state Office of Emergency Preparedness and the Department of Natural Resources as USGS monitors for aftershocks, and any link to recent Haynesville-Bossier seismicity or fracking remains unconfirmed.