Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 3.3ml
Earthquake near Carlsbad, NM
USGS: 35 km SSE of Hope, New Mexico
- When
- 10:18 pm MST on 15 January 2026 ()
- Where
- 39 km (24 mi) WNW of Carlsbad, NM · earthquakes near Carlsbad
- Magnitude
- M 3.3 (ml)
- Depth
- 5.0 km below the surface
- Felt
- 2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
- Nearest
- Eddy County, 31 km E
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 167 days ago
A magnitude 3.3 earthquake was recorded 39 km (24 mi) WNW of Carlsbad, NM, at 10:18 pm MST on 15 January 2026 (05:18 UTC). 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS. This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 1.3 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 130,000× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 5,600× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,000× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.3 tons of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.8× more
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 2024-02-23 — about 11 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 32.4988, -104.6358. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eddy County, NM | 31 km (19 mi) | E | earthquakes near Eddy County |
| Chaves County, NM | 97 km (60 mi) | N | earthquakes near Chaves County |
| Otero County, NM | 105 km (65 mi) | W | earthquakes near Otero County |
| Culberson County, TX | 118 km (73 mi) | S | earthquakes near Culberson County |
| Lea County, NM | 119 km (74 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Lea County |
| Loving County, TX | 125 km (77 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Loving 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.
- 3.4 33 km SSE of Hope, New Mexico
- 2.8 13 km WNW of Whites City, New Mexico
- 2.5 19 km NW of Whites City, New Mexico
- 2.7 22 km NNW of Whites City, New Mexico
- 2.9 5 km SSE of Livingston Wheeler, New Mexico
- 3.1 25 km WNW of La Huerta, New Mexico
- 2.5 26 km SSE of Hope, New Mexico
- 2.6 24 km SSW of Atoka, New Mexico
- 2.9 27 km WNW of Whites City, New Mexico
- 2.6 28 km SW of Atoka, New Mexico
- 3.4 27 km SSE of Hope, New Mexico
- 2.6 28 km SSE of Hope, New Mexico
- 3.1 27 km SSE of Hope, New Mexico
- 2.9 25 km WNW of Whites City, New Mexico
- 2.3 6 km ESE of Livingston Wheeler, 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.