Earthquakes continue in southern Colorado over the weekend
A series of 10 earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.5 or greater has continued to shake Las Animas County in southern Colorado during March, with two additional quakes in neighboring New Mexico occurring in mid- to late February. The strongest quake, measuring 4.3 on the Richter Scale, happened March 9 west of Trinidad.
The most recent Colorado earthquakes occurred Saturday evening and Sunday morning according to the United States Geological Survey.
Saturday’s quake happened at 5:17 p.m. and had a magnitude of 3.1. It was centered near six earthquakes, including the 4.3, which occurred between March 9 and 10 west of Trinidad.
Sunday’s earthquake, which occurred at 5:10 a.m., had a magnitude of 3.8 and was located about 10 miles northwest of Trinidad, or 3 miles west of Hoehne. As of 7:30 a.m., 35 people reported feeling the quake.
No damage reports have been received.
March Las Animas County Earthquakes | ||
Date / Time | Magnitude | Depth |
Thursday, March 9 / 11:06 p.m. | 4.3 | 1 mile |
Friday, March 10 / 1:40 a.m. | 2.8 | 4 miles |
Friday, March 10 / 2:43 a.m. | 2.5 | 3 miles |
Friday, March 10 / 3:50 a.m. | 3 | 1 mile |
Friday, March 10 / 8:30 a.m. | 3.5 | 1.5 miles |
Friday, March 10 / 1:31 p.m. | 4.3 | 3 miles |
Monday, March 13 / 10:22 p.m. | 3.5 | 4 miles |
Saturday, March 18 / 5:09 p.m. | 3.1 | 3.5 miles |
Sunday, March 19 / 5:10 a.m. | 3.8 | 2.5 miles |
March San Juan County Earthquake | ||
Friday, March 10 / 7:55 a.m. | 3.6 | 3 miles |
February New Mexico Earthquakes (Near Colorado) | ||
Saturday, February 18 / 12:33 a.m. | 2.5 | 2.5 miles |
Thursday, February 23 / 8:36 p.. | 2.7 | 2.5 miles |
Earlier in the week, on March 13, a 3.5 magnitude earthquake occurred near the March 9-10 cluster. All of the quakes in the area have happened at a depth of between one and five miles beneath the surface.
In nearby New Mexico, earthquakes occurred February 18 and 23, measuring 2.5 and 2.7, respectively, on the Richter Scale.
Minor earthquakes are relatively common in Las Animas County. Since January 31, at least 11 quakes measuring 2.5 or greater have occurred around the Trinidad area.
