QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5ml

Earthquake near Walsenburg, CO

No earthquake was likely felt in Walsenburg in the 24 hours to 5:29 am MST (12:29 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 2.5 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) south-southwest of Walsenburg, CO, at 12:18 pm MST on 8 November 2020 (19:18 UTC), 7.1 km deep. 15 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km SSW of Walsenburg, Colorado

12:18 pm MST, Nov 8, 2020 · · 7.1 km deep · released about 170 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Huerfano County 18 kmCostilla County 66 kmPueblo County 70 kmLas Animas County 73 kmCuster County 76 kmAlamosa County 87 kmOtero County 100 kmColfax County 109 kmFremont 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
12:18 pm MST on 8 November 2020 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) south-southwest of Walsenburg, CO · earthquakes near Walsenburg
Magnitude
M 2.5 (ml)
Depth
7.1 km below the surface
Felt
15 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Nearest
Huerfano County, 18 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2118 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 45 km (28 mi) from the epicentre. In Walsenburg, 4 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 4 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 170 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 89,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 63,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 170 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 180 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 37.5884, -104.7980. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Huerfano County, CO 18 km (11 mi) NW earthquakes near Huerfano County
Costilla County, CO 66 km (41 mi) WSW earthquakes near Costilla County
Pueblo County, CO 70 km (43 mi) NNE earthquakes near Pueblo County
Las Animas County, CO 73 km (45 mi) ESE earthquakes near Las Animas County
Custer County, CO 76 km (47 mi) NW earthquakes near Custer County
Alamosa County, CO 87 km (54 mi) W earthquakes near Alamosa 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 7 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  2. 1.8 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  3. 2.0 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  4. 2.6 4 km WNW of El Moro, Colorado
  5. 1.6 7 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  6. 2.4 6 km W of El Moro, Colorado
  7. 3.1 6 km NNW of Trinidad, Colorado
  8. 1.7 5 km WNW of El Moro, Colorado
  9. 1.6 6 km W of El Moro, Colorado
  10. 1.6 7 km WNW of El Moro, Colorado
  11. 1.5 Colorado
  12. 1.6 9 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  13. 1.8 6 km N of El Moro, Colorado
  14. 1.5 14 km W of Aguilar, Colorado
  15. 2.1 6 km NNW 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.