M4.5 Earthquake 54 km S of Whites City, New Mexico — August 11, 2022
2022-08-11 07:17:16 UTC (2022-08-11) · approx. 12:17 AM UTC-7 local
Felt by 9 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 5.0 (strong).
On August 11, 2022 at 07:17 UTC, a magnitude 4.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 54 km S of Whites City, New Mexico, at a depth of 6.6 km and coordinates 31.6833°, -104.4254°. The earthquake was reported felt by 9 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 5.0 (strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 53 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 315, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Loving (population 1,413).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 85 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 767 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in New Mexico, a region characterized by the Rio Grande Rift, a continental rift zone where the crust is thinning and extending. The nearest mapped fault system is the Rio Grande Rift. View all earthquakes in New Mexico.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Nearest Populated Places
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 9 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 370,994 |
| MMI 4 | light | 1 |
Earthquake Details
-104.4254°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.5 earthquake near Whites City, New Mexico?
The magnitude 4.5 earthquake that struck 54 km S of Whites City, New Mexico on August 11, 2022 at 07:17 UTC had a depth of 6.6 km. It was felt by 9 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 5.0 (strong). For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 31.6833°, -104.4254°, which is 54 km S of Whites City, New Mexico. The nearest populated place is Loving (population 1,413). View all earthquakes in New Mexico.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.5 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Has New Mexico had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in New Mexico was the M6.2 Socorro earthquake of November 15, 1906. Today's magnitude 4.5 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: tx2022pqec). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, August 11, 2022). M4.5 Earthquake 54 km S of Whites City, New Mexico — August 11, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/tx2022pqec/