QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3ml

Earthquake near Trinidad, CO

No earthquake was likely felt in Trinidad in the 24 hours to 2:17 pm MST (21:17 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 2.3 earthquake was recorded 37 km (23 mi) northwest of Trinidad, CO, at 6:47 pm MST on 19 February 2021 (01:47 UTC), 9.0 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 15 km W of Aguilar, Colorado

6:47 pm MST, Feb 19, 2021 · · 9.0 km deep · released about 85 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Trinidad Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Huerfano County 36 kmCostilla County 55 kmLas Animas County 69 kmColfax County 87 kmAlamosa County 88 kmPueblo County 92 kmCuster County 94 kmOtero County 112 kmTaos County 115 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
6:47 pm MST on 19 February 2021 ()
Where
37 km (23 mi) northwest of Trinidad, CO · earthquakes near Trinidad
Magnitude
M 2.3 (ml)
Depth
9.0 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Huerfano County, 36 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1556 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 36 km (22 mi) from the epicentre. In Trinidad, 37 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: Walsenburg 27 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 85 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 11× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 85 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.0 on 2016-02-06 — about 350 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.3 6 km S of Valdez, Colorado · 37 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 20 km S of Weston, Colorado · 48 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 37.3809, -104.8218. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Huerfano County, CO 36 km (23 mi) NNW earthquakes near Huerfano County
Costilla County, CO 55 km (34 mi) WSW earthquakes near Costilla County
Las Animas County, CO 69 km (43 mi) E earthquakes near Las Animas County
Colfax County, NM 87 km (54 mi) S earthquakes near Colfax County
Alamosa County, CO 88 km (55 mi) WNW earthquakes near Alamosa County
Pueblo County, CO 92 km (57 mi) NNE earthquakes near Pueblo County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 12 km SSW of Weston, Colorado
  2. 1.8 14 km S of Weston, Colorado
  3. 1.5 17 km SSW of Weston, Colorado
  4. 2.6 16 km S of Weston, Colorado
  5. 1.6 14 km S of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
  6. 1.5 14 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
  7. 1.6 14 km S of Weston, Colorado
  8. 2.8 15 km S of Weston, Colorado
  9. 1.7 15 km NNE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
  10. 1.6 19 km SSW of Weston, Colorado
  11. 1.5 15 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
  12. 1.6 15 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
  13. 1.6 13 km S of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
  14. 2.8 4 km NNW of El Moro, Colorado
  15. 2.0 6 km NNW of El Moro, 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.