NEW - Friday:
Scientists like Robert Skoumal, Ph.D., a research geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, are constantly on the hunt for a better understanding of the inner machinations of the causes, triggers and effects of earthquakes.
Dr. Skoumal concedes we may never know the exact cause of the quake on Thursday [March 5, 2026] in Northwest Louisiana. But as the Louisiana Radio Network reports, Skoumal also adds that human activity cannot be completely ruled out either. “There is a history of induced earthquakes. These are earthquakes that are caused by people, not particularly in this area, but 70 miles to the west, just across the state border. Those earthquakes are caused by wastewater disposal.”
Since 2009, at least 58 earthquakes of this size have occurred each year in the central U.S. (Refer to the graphic directly above), and at least 100 earthquakes of this size every year since 2013, according to USGS data. The rate peaked in 2015 with 1010 M3+ earthquakes.
Since then, the earthquake rate has declined. In 2019, 130 M3+ earthquakes occurred in the same region. But the USGS is also careful to point out that, “most injection wells are not associated with felt earthquakes.” The agency says such quakes require a combination of many factors. Those include: the injection rate, total volume injected, the presence of faults large enough to produce 'felt quakes.'
Scientists describe how this confluence of factors can sometimes trigger ancient and typically dormant, deep-seated fault systems. Such a description may directly apply in this most recent case.
The Red River Transform Fault is a little-known underground feature, which follows the path of the Red River toward the Mississippi River. But there has been no link made, at this time, by authorities between that of the long-dormant fault and Thursday morning's convulsion. Skoumal does caution the public that there may still be aftershocks, with a very slight chance of one registering at least a magnitude 4.0.
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Thursday:
Nakia Graham won’t soon forget this day [Thursday, March 5, 2026]. This 32-year-old college advisor says she was still sound asleep at her home in Mansfield, Louisiana, with sunrise still more than an hour out.
At 5:30 a.m. her bed began to shake. Graham, at first, thought she was still dreaming, but not for long. “It was as if my house was made of Jello and somebody was shaking the plate that the Jello was on.” Graham recalls how her cat, Lady, just vanished, only to be found an hour later hiding under the couch.
Now fully awake, Graham grabbed her phone and immediately called friends and family. They became the first to tell her it was an earthquake, but knew little else at that moment. She then dialed Red River Radio to tell us what she’d just experienced.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) soon confirmed that a 4.9 magnitude earthquake woke not only her, but also a large swath of Northwest Louisiana citizens, at least some of whom were likewise asleep when the shaking began, as well.
The USGS reported that the quake occurred at a depth of 3.1 miles, about 4 miles northwest of the village of Edgefield, off of U.S. Highway 71 in Red River Parish. This event becomes the second largest earthquake in Louisiana history, topped only by the 5.3 magnitude quake that occurred in Grand Isle, Louisiana 20 years ago, on February 9, 2006.
Even roughly 30 miles to the west of the epicenter, Graham vividly recalls the abject fear she faced during the event. “It lasted anywhere between :30 and :45 seconds. But, you know, to feel something and to be that startled out of your sleep it felt like forever.”
The USGS says there are no reports of any damage. Graham also was relieved to see no damage inside or outside her home. Hours later she began to reflect on some of her very first thoughts about what could be happening during the shaking, ranging from a gas well explosion, to a train crash, or even an attack on Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, in light of the unfolding events in the Middle East. She is grateful none of those fears proved to be true.
An important note on the measurement of an earthquake’s magnitude: you may sometimes still see references to the Richter Scale, which is not commonly used today, and was largely replaced in the 1970s [scientists say it fails to measure the total energy released by massive earthquakes, often underestimating them]. Instead, magnitude is measured by the Moment Magnitude Scale (MMS). For a complete explainer on magnitude types click here.
The USGS provides other graphic supports which can also prove usesful. One graphic is called the ShakeMap. It measures the severity of shaking in the affected area of an earthquake.
Another graphic is known as the community internet intensity map to show the extent of public reaction to the earthquake.
