QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

Earthquake near Walsenburg, CO

No earthquake was likely felt in Walsenburg in the 24 hours to 2:58 pm MST (21:58 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 2.4 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) southwest of Walsenburg, CO, at 9:05 pm MDT on 17 August 2026 (03:05 UTC), 5.0 km deep.

USGS: 10 km SW of Walsenburg, Colorado

9:05 pm MDT, Aug 17, 2026 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Huerfano County 17 kmCostilla County 59 kmPueblo County 75 kmCuster County 76 kmLas Animas County 76 kmAlamosa County 82 kmOtero County 106 kmColfax County 106 kmFremont County 112 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
9:05 pm MDT on 17 August 2026 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) southwest of Walsenburg, CO · earthquakes near Walsenburg
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Huerfano County, 17 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 64 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 41 km (25 mi) from the epicentre. In Walsenburg, 10 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: Walsenburg 10 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 89,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 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 4.3 on 2023-03-10 — about 710 times the energy of this one.

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 37.5552, -104.8535. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Huerfano County, CO 17 km (11 mi) NNW earthquakes near Huerfano County
Costilla County, CO 59 km (37 mi) WSW earthquakes near Costilla County
Pueblo County, CO 75 km (47 mi) NNE earthquakes near Pueblo County
Custer County, CO 76 km (47 mi) NW earthquakes near Custer County
Las Animas County, CO 76 km (47 mi) ESE earthquakes near Las Animas County
Alamosa County, CO 82 km (51 mi) W earthquakes near Alamosa County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 10 km SW of Walsenburg, Colorado
  2. 1.5 10 km SW of Walsenburg, 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.