QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Carbondale, CO

No earthquake was likely felt in Carbondale in the 24 hours to 12:47 pm MST (19:47 UTC). The last one was M 5.0, 673 km (418 mi) ESE, at 4:21 am MDT on 23 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 499 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Carbondale

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 6 km (3 mi) south-southwest of Carbondale, CO, at 3:53 am MDT on 6 October 2020 (09:53 UTC), 5.0 km deep.

USGS: 5 km SSW of Carbondale, Colorado

3:53 am MDT, Oct 6, 2020 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pitkin County 32 kmEagle County 56 kmGarfield County 63 kmDelta County 77 kmGunnison County 78 kmLake County 79 kmSummit County 99 kmRio Blanco County 107 kmChaffee County 107 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
3:53 am MDT on 6 October 2020 ()
Where
6 km (3 mi) south-southwest of Carbondale, CO · earthquakes near Carbondale
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Pitkin County, 32 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2160 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 9 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Carbondale, 6 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). 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: Carbondale 6 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.4 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 39.3590, -107.2439. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pitkin County, CO 32 km (20 mi) ESE earthquakes near Pitkin County
Eagle County, CO 56 km (35 mi) ENE earthquakes near Eagle County
Garfield County, CO 63 km (39 mi) WNW earthquakes near Garfield County
Delta County, CO 77 km (48 mi) SW earthquakes near Delta County
Gunnison County, CO 78 km (49 mi) SSE earthquakes near Gunnison County
Lake County, CO 79 km (49 mi) ESE earthquakes near Lake County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 10 km NW of Dotsero, Colorado
  2. 2.8 10 km NE of Redstone, Colorado
  3. 2.6 12 km S of Mulford, Colorado
  4. 2.1 6 km NNW of Chacra, Colorado
  5. 2.9 6 km NNE of Chacra, Colorado
  6. 1.9 6 km WNW of Snowmass Village, Colorado
  7. 2.5 7 km NNW of Chacra, Colorado
  8. 2.6 6 km NNW of Chacra, Colorado
  9. 2.9 8 km NNW of Chacra, Colorado
  10. 2.1 9 km NNE of New Castle, Colorado
  11. 2.5 6 km NNW of Gypsum, Colorado
  12. 1.8 2 km NNW of El Jebel, Colorado
  13. 2.8 9 km E of Woody Creek, Colorado
  14. 1.7 15 km NW of Dotsero, Colorado
  15. 2.0 6 km E of Basalt, 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.