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United States · New Mexico

M2.3 Earthquake near Lea County, New Mexico (United States)

UTC time: 2026-09-16 12:53:28 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

On September 16, 2026 at 12:53 UTC, a magnitude M2.3 earthquake occurred near Lea County, New Mexico (United States). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 4 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Events of this size typically go unnoticed.

The data is provided by USGS and cross-checked across seismological networks. United States: 221 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M4.8.

Details

ID
471b811c6b186f2132f819519bef95822e17fd4f
Magnitude
M2.3
Depth
3.7 km
UTC time
2026-09-16 12:53:28 UTC
Local time
—
Country
United States
State
New Mexico
City
Lea County
County
Lea County
Source
usgs
Coordinates
32.42530, -103.32070
Temperature
20.6°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 3.7 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 3.7 km
Shallow
3.7 km
3.7 km — shallower than the regional average (15.2 km)
Regional average: 15.2 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Volcanoes nearby

  • Carrizozo
    Distance: 286 km ·Pyroclastic cone(s) ·Elevation: 1'731 m ·Last eruption: -3250 ·United States

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Lea County Regional AirportUnited States · HOB · KHOB
    30.7 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-19

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

New Mexico

Context for this earthquake

19 Sep 2025 – 19 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 2.0 · 115 Catalogue entries

Of 114 other entries for this area and period, 80 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · United States

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Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · United States

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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