QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Trinidad, CO

No earthquake was likely felt in Trinidad in the 24 hours to 7:13 am MST (14:13 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 1.7 earthquake was recorded 32 km (20 mi) northeast of Trinidad, CO, at 10:26 pm MST on 23 December 2021 (05:26 UTC), 8.0 km deep.

USGS: 15 km NE of Hoehne, Colorado

10:26 pm MST, Dec 23, 2021 · · 8.0 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Las Animas County 23 kmHuerfano County 68 kmOtero County 73 kmPueblo County 87 kmColfax County 93 kmCostilla County 102 kmCrowley County 111 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
10:26 pm MST on 23 December 2021 ()
Where
32 km (20 mi) northeast of Trinidad, CO · earthquakes near Trinidad
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
8.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Las Animas County, 23 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1712 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 Trinidad, 32 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 89× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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 37.3964, -104.2827. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Las Animas County, CO 23 km (14 mi) ESE earthquakes near Las Animas County
Huerfano County, CO 68 km (42 mi) WNW earthquakes near Huerfano County
Otero County, CO 73 km (46 mi) NE earthquakes near Otero County
Pueblo County, CO 87 km (54 mi) NNW earthquakes near Pueblo County
Colfax County, NM 93 km (58 mi) SSW earthquakes near Colfax County
Costilla County, CO 102 km (64 mi) W earthquakes near Costilla County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 16 km NNE of Weston, Colorado
  2. 2.0 11 km NNW of Segundo, Colorado
  3. 1.7 6 km NNE of Segundo, Colorado
  4. 1.8 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  5. 3.8 4 km WNW of Hoehne, Colorado
  6. 2.9 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  7. 2.2 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  8. 1.5 9 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  9. 1.6 10 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  10. 1.5 Colorado
  11. 3.2 6 km NNW of Segundo, Colorado
  12. 1.5 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  13. 1.8 11 km NNW of Segundo, Colorado
  14. 2.4 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  15. 1.6 8 km NNW of Segundo, 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.