Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 4.0mwr
Earthquake near Trinidad, CO
No earthquake was likely felt in Trinidad in the 24 hours to 2:56 am MST (09:56 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 45 km (28 mi) WSW, at 3:34 am MST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Trinidad
This page: a magnitude 4.0 earthquake was recorded 34 km (21 mi) west-northwest of Trinidad, CO, at 4:46 pm MST on 30 December 2017 (23:46 UTC), 4.0 km deep. 55 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 15 km N of Weston, Colorado
- When
- 4:46 pm MST on 30 December 2017 ()
- Where
- 34 km (21 mi) west-northwest of Trinidad, CO · earthquakes near Trinidad
- Magnitude
- M 4.0 (mwr)
- Depth
- 4.0 km below the surface
- Felt
- 55 reports · strongest reported intensity V
- Measured shaking
- intensity IV (ShakeMap)
- USGS impact alert
- green
- Nearest
- Huerfano County, 47 km N
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2836 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Trinidad, CO
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Trinidad, CO. 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.
This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.
At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 461 km (286 mi) from the epicentre. In Trinidad, 34 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.
Likely felt in: Trinidad 34 km, intensity IV · Walsenburg 40 km, intensity IV. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 15 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.0 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 11,000× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 500× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 350× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 4.0 about 15 tons of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 32× more
Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.
For this area
Tied for the largest within 50 km (31 mi) since 2016, with M 4.0 on 2016-02-06.
Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:
- 5.3 6 km S of Valdez, Colorado · 27 km SSE of this epicentre
- 5.0 20 km S of Weston, Colorado · 36 km S of this epicentre
Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.
Where
Epicentre 37.2734, -104.8631. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huerfano County, CO | 47 km (29 mi) | N | earthquakes near Huerfano County |
| Costilla County, CO | 50 km (31 mi) | W | earthquakes near Costilla County |
| Las Animas County, CO | 73 km (45 mi) | E | earthquakes near Las Animas County |
| Colfax County, NM | 76 km (47 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Colfax County |
| Alamosa County, CO | 88 km (55 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Alamosa County |
| Custer County, CO | 102 km (64 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Custer County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
56 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.9 15 km NNW of Weston, Colorado
- 2.0 12 km NNW of El Moro, Colorado
- 1.5 11 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
- 1.5 13 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
- 1.9 16 km SSW of Weston, Colorado
- 1.6 17 km SSW of Weston, Colorado
- 1.5 13 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
- 2.0 13 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
- 1.6 12 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
- 1.6 16 km SSW of Weston, Colorado
- 1.8 16 km S of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
- 1.7 14 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
- 2.1 16 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
- 2.8 16 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
- 1.6 15 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.
On USGS
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.