EL PASO (January 24 ,2012)--There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage after a 3.6-magnitude earthquake struck a remote area of West Texas early Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.
Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson said about a dozen people called to report the temblor Tuesday afternoon.
Don Blakeman of the U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 12:21 p.m. CST about 17 miles southeast of Alpine not far from Big Bend National Park.
Blakeman said earthquakes are fairly common in the region.
A quake of similar strength struck in the same area about a year ago.
In 1995, there was a 5.7-magnitude earthquake in the vicinity.
