QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Raton, NM

No earthquake was likely felt in Raton in the 24 hours to 2:49 pm MST (21:49 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 1.8 earthquake was recorded 37 km (23 mi) west of Raton, NM, at 10:35 am MDT on 17 October 2022 (16:35 UTC), 5.0 km deep.

USGS: 26 km S of Weston, Colorado

10:35 am MDT, Oct 17, 2022 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Colfax County 37 kmCostilla County 66 kmTaos County 78 kmLas Animas County 86 kmHuerfano County 88 kmMora County 102 kmAlamosa 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
10:35 am MDT on 17 October 2022 ()
Where
37 km (23 mi) west of Raton, NM · earthquakes near Raton
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Colfax County, 37 km SSE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1411 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 16 km (10 mi) from the epicentre. In Raton, 37 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 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 4.2 on 2016-12-23 — about 4,000 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 NE of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 20 km S of Weston, Colorado · 6 km NNE 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 36.8982, -104.8585. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Colfax County, NM 37 km (23 mi) SSE earthquakes near Colfax County
Costilla County, CO 66 km (41 mi) NW earthquakes near Costilla County
Taos County, NM 78 km (49 mi) WSW earthquakes near Taos County
Las Animas County, CO 86 km (53 mi) ENE earthquakes near Las Animas County
Huerfano County, CO 88 km (55 mi) N earthquakes near Huerfano County
Mora County, NM 102 km (63 mi) S earthquakes near Mora County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 13 km SW of Weston, Colorado
  2. 1.5 7 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  3. 2.0 Colorado
  4. 2.0 7 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  5. 1.5 19 km S of Weston, Colorado
  6. 1.8 12 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
  7. 1.8 16 km NNE of Weston, Colorado
  8. 2.0 11 km NNW of Segundo, Colorado
  9. 1.7 6 km NNE of Segundo, Colorado
  10. 1.8 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  11. 2.9 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  12. 2.2 8 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  13. 1.7 29 km NNE of Ute Park, New Mexico
  14. 1.5 9 km N of Segundo, Colorado
  15. 1.6 10 km N 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.