Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.6ml
Earthquake near Socorro, NM
No earthquake was likely felt in Socorro in the 24 hours to 4:32 am MST (11:32 UTC). The last one was M 3.6, 298 km (185 mi) SE, at 4:55 pm MDT on 14 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Socorro
This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 12 km (8 mi) north-northwest of Socorro, NM, at 4:01 pm MDT on 12 September 2023 (22:01 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 15 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 4 km W of Lemitar, New Mexico
- When
- 4:01 pm MDT on 12 September 2023 ()
- Where
- 12 km (8 mi) north-northwest of Socorro, NM · earthquakes near Socorro
- Magnitude
- M 2.6 (ml)
- Depth
- 5.0 km below the surface
- Felt
- 15 reports · strongest reported intensity V
- Nearest
- Socorro County, 18 km S
- Nearest mapped fault
- La Jencia fault, 18 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1012 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Socorro, NM
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Socorro, NM. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Socorro, 12 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.
Likely felt in: Socorro 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 240 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.6 about 240 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.
Where
Epicentre 34.1545, -106.9580. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Socorro County, NM | 18 km (11 mi) | S | earthquakes near Socorro County |
| Valencia County, NM | 64 km (40 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Valencia County |
| Bernalillo County, NM | 103 km (64 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Bernalillo County |
| Torrance County, NM | 108 km (67 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Torrance County |
| Sierra County, NM | 117 km (73 mi) | S | earthquakes near Sierra County |
| Cibola County, NM | 128 km (80 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Cibola County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
35 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.6 15 km E of Socorro, New Mexico
- 2.7 2 km NNW of Las Nutrias, New Mexico
- 3.0 16 km WSW of Pueblitos, New Mexico
- 3.0 15 km WSW of Pueblitos, New Mexico
- 3.2 16 km ESE of Magdalena, New Mexico
- 2.5 13 km W of Socorro, New Mexico
- 2.6 10 km W of Socorro, New Mexico
- 2.6 7 km WNW of Veguita, New Mexico
- 3.6 4 km WNW of Abeytas, New Mexico
- 2.6 4 km WNW of Abeytas, New Mexico
- 2.7 14 km NW of Abeytas, New Mexico
- 3.7 6 km WNW of Veguita, New Mexico
- 3.2 6 km NW of Abeytas, New Mexico
- 2.9 3 km NNE of Abeytas, New Mexico
- 3.6 2 km WNW of Las Nutrias, New Mexico
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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.