QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.8ml

Earthquake near Raton, NM

No earthquake was likely felt in Raton in the 24 hours to 3:00 am MST (10:00 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 53 km (33 mi) WNW, at 3:34 am MST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Raton

This page: a magnitude 3.8 earthquake was recorded 36 km (22 mi) west-southwest of Raton, NM, at 3:21 am MDT on 6 July 2026 (09:21 UTC), 4.4 km deep. 8 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 34 km SSW of Segundo, Colorado

3:21 am MDT, Jul 6, 2026 · · 4.4 km deep · released about 7.6 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Colfax County 29 kmCostilla County 73 kmTaos County 77 kmLas Animas County 89 kmMora County 94 kmHuerfano County 97 kmAlamosa County 118 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
3:21 am MDT on 6 July 2026 ()
Where
36 km (22 mi) west-southwest of Raton, NM · earthquakes near Raton
Magnitude
M 3.8 (ml)
Depth
4.4 km below the surface
Felt
8 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Measured shaking
intensity V (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Colfax County, 29 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 53 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 401 km (249 mi) from the epicentre. In Raton, 36 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: Raton 36 km, intensity III · Trinidad 48 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.8 about 7.6 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 16× 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 4.3 on 2023-03-10 — about 5.6 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 · 29 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 20 km S of Weston, Colorado · 14 km N 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 36.8248, -104.8322. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Colfax County, NM 29 km (18 mi) SE earthquakes near Colfax County
Costilla County, CO 73 km (45 mi) NW earthquakes near Costilla County
Taos County, NM 77 km (48 mi) WSW earthquakes near Taos County
Las Animas County, CO 89 km (55 mi) NE earthquakes near Las Animas County
Mora County, NM 94 km (58 mi) S earthquakes near Mora County
Huerfano County, CO 97 km (60 mi) N earthquakes near Huerfano County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.4 8 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
  2. 2.1 14 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
  3. 2.6 10 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
  4. 3.7 17 km SSW of Weston, Colorado
  5. 2.6 25 km S of Weston, Colorado
  6. 2.4 16 km SSW of Weston, Colorado
  7. 1.7 33 km NNE of Cimarron, New Mexico
  8. 2.4 21 km S of Weston, Colorado
  9. 1.6 15 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
  10. 1.8 18 km NNE of Ute Park, New Mexico
  11. 2.6 15 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
  12. 3.4 31 km S of Weston, Colorado
  13. 1.7 12 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
  14. 1.8 11 km S of Weston, Colorado
  15. 1.5 9 km SE of Starkville, 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.