QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4mb_lg

Earthquake near Jal, NM

No earthquake was likely felt in Jal in the 24 hours to 12:25 pm MST (19:25 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 17 km (11 mi) SSW, at 3:01 pm MDT on 30 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Jal

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 18 km (11 mi) northwest of Jal, NM, at 4:30 am MDT on 19 August 2024 (10:30 UTC), 4.3 km deep.

USGS: 17 km NW of Jal, New Mexico

4:30 am MDT, Aug 19, 2024 · · 4.3 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Loving County 50 kmWinkler County 51 kmLea County 62 kmAndrews County 63 kmWard County 83 kmEctor County 83 kmGaines County 84 kmEddy County 97 kmReeves 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
4:30 am MDT on 19 August 2024 ()
Where
18 km (11 mi) northwest of Jal, NM · earthquakes near Jal
Magnitude
M 2.4 (mb_lg)
Depth
4.3 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Loving County, 50 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 739 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 Jal, 18 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: Jal 18 km, intensity II · Eunice 26 km, intensity II. 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 in our catalogue was M 4.0 on 2021-07-19 — about 250 times the energy of this one.

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 32.2425, -103.3085. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Loving County, TX 50 km (31 mi) SSW earthquakes near Loving County
Winkler County, TX 51 km (32 mi) SSE earthquakes near Winkler County
Lea County, NM 62 km (39 mi) N earthquakes near Lea County
Andrews County, TX 63 km (39 mi) E earthquakes near Andrews County
Ward County, TX 83 km (52 mi) SSE earthquakes near Ward County
Ector County, TX 83 km (52 mi) ESE earthquakes near Ector County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 37 km ESE of Malaga, New Mexico
  2. 1.8 37 km ESE of Malaga, New Mexico
  3. 1.9 23 km SW of Jal, New Mexico
  4. 2.2 21 km SW of Jal, New Mexico
  5. 1.8 23 km SW of Jal, New Mexico
  6. 1.5 22 km SW of Jal, New Mexico
  7. 2.3 21 km SW of Jal, New Mexico
  8. 1.6 22 km SW of Jal, New Mexico
  9. 1.7 22 km SW of Jal, New Mexico
  10. 1.7 22 km SW of Jal, New Mexico
  11. 2.8 22 km SW of Jal, New Mexico
  12. 2.6 21 km SW of Jal, New Mexico
  13. 1.8 15 km NE of Kermit, Texas
  14. 1.9 38 km ESE of Malaga, New Mexico
  15. 2.3 38 km ESE of Malaga, 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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.