QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2mb_lg

Earthquake near Clayton, NM

No earthquake was likely felt in Clayton in the 24 hours to 5:29 am MST (12:29 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 176 km (109 mi) WNW, at 3:34 am MST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Clayton

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) south-southeast of Clayton, NM, at 6:18 pm MDT on 17 May 2025 (00:18 UTC), 5.0 km deep.

USGS: 9 km SW of Texline, Texas

6:18 pm MDT, May 17, 2025 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 60 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Union County 38 kmDallam County 45 kmHartley County 69 kmCimarron County 70 kmHarding County 85 kmSherman County 108 kmOldham County 112 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
6:18 pm MDT on 17 May 2025 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) south-southeast of Clayton, NM · earthquakes near Clayton
Texas today
every earthquake in Texas in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.2 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Union County, 38 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 474 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 32 km (20 mi) from the epicentre. In Clayton, 16 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 60 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 250,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 16× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 60 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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

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 36.3224, -103.0990. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Union County, NM 38 km (24 mi) WNW earthquakes near Union County
Dallam County, TX 45 km (28 mi) E earthquakes near Dallam County
Hartley County, TX 69 km (43 mi) SE earthquakes near Hartley County
Cimarron County, OK 70 km (44 mi) NE earthquakes near Cimarron County
Harding County, NM 85 km (53 mi) SW earthquakes near Harding County
Sherman County, TX 108 km (67 mi) E earthquakes near Sherman County

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

Aftershocks so far

No further earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

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.