QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Walsenburg, CO

No earthquake was likely felt in Walsenburg in the 24 hours to 3:55 pm MST (22:55 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 63 km (39 mi) SSW, at 3:34 am MST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Walsenburg

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 17 km (11 mi) southeast of Walsenburg, CO, at 11:14 pm MDT on 19 April 2021 (05:14 UTC), 5.4 km deep.

USGS: 7 km NNW of Lynn, Colorado

86 km (54 mi) S of Pueblo, CO

11:14 pm MDT, Apr 19, 2021 · · 5.4 km deep · released about 21 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Huerfano County 34 kmLas Animas County 58 kmCostilla County 72 kmPueblo County 76 kmCuster County 92 kmOtero County 94 kmColfax County 98 kmAlamosa County 99 kmCrowley County 120 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
11:14 pm MDT on 19 April 2021 ()
Where
17 km (11 mi) southeast of Walsenburg, CO · earthquakes near Walsenburg
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
5.4 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Huerfano County, 34 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1957 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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Walsenburg, 17 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 17 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 21 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 710,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 500,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 45× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 21 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 2017-12-30 — about 1,400 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.3 6 km S of Valdez, 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 37.4950, -104.6673. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Huerfano County, CO 34 km (21 mi) NW earthquakes near Huerfano County
Las Animas County, CO 58 km (36 mi) ESE earthquakes near Las Animas County
Costilla County, CO 72 km (44 mi) WSW earthquakes near Costilla County
Pueblo County, CO 76 km (47 mi) NNE earthquakes near Pueblo County
Custer County, CO 92 km (57 mi) NW earthquakes near Custer County
Otero County, CO 94 km (58 mi) ENE earthquakes near Otero County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 7 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  2. 2.0 Colorado
  3. 3.9 5 km N of Sequndo, Colorado
  4. 3.5 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  5. 3.0 11 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  6. 1.8 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  7. 1.8 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  8. 2.5 7 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  9. 2.5 7 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  10. 1.8 9 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  11. 4.3 6 km NNE of Segundo, Colorado
  12. 1.8 7 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  13. 1.8 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  14. 2.0 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  15. 2.6 4 km WNW 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.