QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6mb_lg

Earthquake near Tucumcari, NM

No earthquake was likely felt in Tucumcari in the 24 hours to 7:15 am MST (14:15 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 241 km (150 mi) NNW, at 3:34 am MST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Tucumcari

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 29 km (18 mi) southwest of Tucumcari, NM, at 5:59 pm MDT on 22 October 2024 (23:59 UTC), 14 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 29 km SW of Tucumcari, New Mexico

5:59 pm MDT, Oct 22, 2024 · · 14 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Quay County 39 kmCurry County 72 kmGuadalupe County 77 kmDe Baca County 79 kmSan Miguel County 95 kmHarding County 98 kmRoosevelt County 115 kmParmer County 118 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
5:59 pm MDT on 22 October 2024 ()
Where
29 km (18 mi) southwest of Tucumcari, NM · earthquakes near Tucumcari
Magnitude
M 2.6 (mb_lg)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Quay County, 39 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 676 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 49 km (30 mi) from the epicentre. In Tucumcari, 29 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 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.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
  4. 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 34.9831, -103.9537. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Quay County, NM 39 km (24 mi) ENE earthquakes near Quay County
Curry County, NM 72 km (45 mi) SE earthquakes near Curry County
Guadalupe County, NM 77 km (48 mi) W earthquakes near Guadalupe County
De Baca County, NM 79 km (49 mi) SSW earthquakes near De Baca County
San Miguel County, NM 95 km (59 mi) NW earthquakes near San Miguel County
Harding County, NM 98 km (61 mi) N earthquakes near Harding 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. 2.5 16 km NE of House, New Mexico
  2. 3.0 22 km S of Newkirk, 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.