Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near Rio Rancho, NM
No earthquake was likely felt in Rio Rancho in the 24 hours to 5:58 am MST (12:58 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 255 km (158 mi) NE, at 3:34 am MST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS.
M 3.2
Latest: 9:36 am MDT on 10 September 2024 · 13 km (8 mi) WSW of Rio Rancho, NM
The most recent earthquake near Rio Rancho was M 3.2, 13 km (8 mi) WSW of Rio Rancho, NM, at 9:36 am MDT on 10 September 2024, 5 km deep. 185 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in Rio Rancho was intensity III (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of Rio Rancho in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 0 · since 2016, about one every 5 years
- Last 12 months
- 0
- Since 2016
- 2 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 3.5 on 10 September 2024, 10 km (6 mi) W of Rio Rancho, NM
- Reported felt
- 2 of them have felt reports to USGS
- Nearest mapped fault
- Rincon fault, 14 km from its surface trace
USGS · feed checked · newest earthquake in our database · this page · counts are earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km (19 mi) of the town centre; shaking is estimated for the town centre with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses
If you felt one
- Was that an earthquake? — checks what was recorded near you in the last hour
- Report what you felt to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us, and they are what produces the intensity maps
- Expect aftershocks, and be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel one; if you are in a damaged building, go outside and move away from it (Ready.gov, FEMA; what to do during and after an earthquake)
- Earthquakes in New Mexico — with the state's activity score
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
Earthquake alerts for Rio Rancho, NM
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Rio Rancho, NM. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
The last 30 days
The latest 2
- 3.2 13 km (8 mi) WSW of Rio Rancho, NM · felt by 185
- 3.5 10 km (6 mi) W of Rio Rancho, NM · felt by 26
From the QuakeIndex database, which reads the USGS feed every 30 seconds and holds the USGS catalogue for the US from 2016 (M1.5+). Times are Rio Rancho time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after Rio Rancho are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near Rio Rancho, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is Rio Rancho; dots are the 2 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in Rio Rancho
The strongest shaking in Rio Rancho from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity III (weak), from the M 3.5 on 10 September 2024, 10 km away. Intensity II and III are felt by some people at rest indoors; IV by most people indoors; V and above wakes sleepers and moves objects.
| Magnitude | When | Distance | Shaking in Rio Rancho (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 3.5 | 10 km | III · Weak · felt by 26 | |
| M 3.2 | 13 km | III · Weak · felt by 185 |
An estimate for the town centre from magnitude, depth and distance, with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses (Atkinson & Wald, 2007), on the Modified Mercalli scale. All 2 reach intensity II or more in town, where people at rest start to notice. Ground conditions change it street by street. It describes the past, not a hazard.
Before 2016
The USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km of Rio Rancho.
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- Rincon fault, 14 km from its surface trace
- Jemez-San Ysidro fault, 18 km from its surface trace
- Hubbell Spring fault, 31 km from its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Near is not the same as on.
Be ready
Earthquakes cannot be predicted, here or anywhere, so the useful step is the one taken beforehand. The advice below is from the agencies responsible for it.
- Ready.gov: earthquakes (FEMA) — what to do before, during and after, including Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- Build a kit (FEMA) — water, food and supplies for several days; our summary
- USGS: preparedness — the hazard behind the advice, from the agency that records every quake on this page
- The Great ShakeOut — the yearly earthquake drill, with material for homes, schools and workplaces
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.