QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Monte Vista, CO

No earthquake was likely felt in Monte Vista in the 24 hours to 5:29 am MST (12:29 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 116 km (72 mi) ESE, at 3:34 am MST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Monte Vista

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 42 km (26 mi) west-southwest of Monte Vista, CO, at 10:20 am MST on 11 February 2019 (17:20 UTC), 5.0 km deep.

USGS: 29 km SSE of South Fork, Colorado

10:20 am MST, Feb 11, 2019 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Rio Grande County 13 kmConejos County 41 kmMineral County 41 kmArchuleta County 48 kmAlamosa County 71 kmSaguache County 75 kmHinsdale County 84 kmRio Arriba County 101 kmCostilla County 102 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
10:20 am MST on 11 February 2019 ()
Where
42 km (26 mi) west-southwest of Monte Vista, CO · earthquakes near Monte Vista
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Rio Grande County, 13 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2757 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Monte Vista, 42 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.6 lb of TNT

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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 37.4090, -106.5710. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Rio Grande County, CO 13 km (8 mi) NE earthquakes near Rio Grande County
Conejos County, CO 41 km (26 mi) ESE earthquakes near Conejos County
Mineral County, CO 41 km (26 mi) WNW earthquakes near Mineral County
Archuleta County, CO 48 km (30 mi) WSW earthquakes near Archuleta County
Alamosa County, CO 71 km (44 mi) ENE earthquakes near Alamosa County
Saguache County, CO 75 km (47 mi) NNE earthquakes near Saguache County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

2 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.5 28 km E of Pagosa Springs, Colorado
  2. 1.6 23 km SSW of South Fork, 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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.