QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.1ml

Earthquake near Trinidad, CO

No earthquake was likely felt in Trinidad in the 24 hours to 8:30 am MST (15:30 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 3.1 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) north-northwest of Trinidad, CO, at 11:36 pm MST on 31 January 2023 (06:36 UTC), 6.8 km deep. 30 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6 km NNW of Trinidad, Colorado

11:36 pm MST, Jan 31, 2023 · · 6.8 km deep · released about 1,300 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Trinidad Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Las Animas County 45 kmHuerfano County 64 kmColfax County 68 kmCostilla County 79 kmOtero County 103 kmPueblo County 105 kmAlamosa County 117 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
11:36 pm MST on 31 January 2023 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) north-northwest of Trinidad, CO · earthquakes near Trinidad
Magnitude
M 3.1 (ml)
Depth
6.8 km below the surface
Felt
30 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Las Animas County, 45 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1308 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 128 km (80 mi) from the epicentre. In Trinidad, 6 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Trinidad 6 km, intensity III · Raton 36 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,300 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 11,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 7,900× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.1 about 1,300 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.4× more

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 22 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 · 23 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 20 km S of Weston, Colorado · 40 km SW 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 37.2175, -104.5362. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Las Animas County, CO 45 km (28 mi) ENE earthquakes near Las Animas County
Huerfano County, CO 64 km (40 mi) NW earthquakes near Huerfano County
Colfax County, NM 68 km (42 mi) S earthquakes near Colfax County
Costilla County, CO 79 km (49 mi) W earthquakes near Costilla County
Otero County, CO 103 km (64 mi) NE earthquakes near Otero County
Pueblo County, CO 105 km (65 mi) N earthquakes near Pueblo 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. 2.0 24 km S of Weston, Colorado
  2. 3.4 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  3. 1.5 27 km S of Segundo, Colorado
  4. 2.7 7 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  5. 1.9 21 km NE of Hoehne, Colorado
  6. 1.7 4 km NNW of Hoehne, Colorado
  7. 2.8 7 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  8. 1.7 Colorado
  9. 2.1 7 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  10. 1.6 6 km W of El Moro, Colorado
  11. 1.5 6 km NNW of Segundo, Colorado
  12. 1.5 14 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
  13. 1.5 13 km SW of Weston, Colorado
  14. 1.5 7 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  15. 2.0 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.