The map shows quakes of M1.5 and up from the last 90 days, the 1 biggest on record, and always the very latest quake — even if it was smaller than M1.5. The list below can include smaller ones the map leaves out. Tap any dot for details.
In the last 30 days, 0 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of Española. Over the past year, M3.0+ quakes near Española came at 3.0× the usual pace — busier than normal for this area. The biggest quake on record near Española — records go back to 1980 — was the M4.2 of Jul 12, 2021, 15:33 UTC: 5 km E of Capulin, New Mexico.
How we figure this: 3 quakes of M3.0 or bigger within 100 km in the last 12 months (Nov 03, 2025 – Nov 03, 2026), compared with an average of 1.0 a year across the full calendar years 2016–2025, counted the same way. This compares how often quakes happened in two past periods. It is not a forecast, and it does not mean a big earthquake is on its way — nobody can predict earthquakes.
Does a busier spell mean a bigger earthquake is coming?
Short answer: nobody can tell — and a busier spell by itself is not a warning sign. Bunches of small quakes are common around Española, and most settle down on their own. Small quakes also do not “let off steam” that would prevent a big one: a single M7 releases roughly as much energy as 32,000 M4 quakes added together. Earthquakes cannot be predicted. What can be measured is the long-term pattern — the biggest quakes on record near Española are listed further down this page.
Latest earthquakes near Española
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M3.5 | 17 km WSW of Los Ojos, New Mexico | Jul 05, 2026, 10:37 AM | 10 km | 99 km NW |
| M2.5 | 26 km WSW of Los Ojos, New Mexico | Jul 05, 2026, 12:45 AM | 11 km | 100 km NW |
| M3.3 | 13 km NNW of La Cueva, New Mexico | Jan 29, 2026, 07:40 PM | 5 km | 55 km W |
| M3.6 | 22 km WSW of Los Ojos, New Mexico | Dec 15, 2025, 11:02 AM | 6 km | 99 km NW |
| M2.9 | 11 km NNE of Gallina, New Mexico | Dec 07, 2025, 06:07 PM | 9 km | 71 km WNW |
| M3.5 | 9 km E of Cuba, New Mexico | Dec 20, 2023, 04:48 PM | 11 km | 69 km W |
| M3.7 | 3 km E of Capulin, New Mexico | Jul 12, 2021, 10:06 AM | 10 km | 68 km WNW |
| M4.2 | 5 km E of Capulin, New Mexico | Jul 12, 2021, 09:33 AM | 13 km | 65 km WNW |
| M3.0 | 4 km NNE of Capulin, New Mexico | Jul 12, 2021, 07:44 AM | 10 km | 70 km WNW |
| M3.3 | 2 km NNE of Capulin, New Mexico | Apr 09, 2021, 08:49 AM | 5 km | 70 km WNW |
Earthquakes per year near Española (M3.0 and up, within 100 km)
M3.0–3.9 M4.0+
Each bar is one year; taller means more quakes (M3.0 and up). The dark red part is the bigger ones (M4.0+), counted inside the number above each bar — not added on top. These may be felt, depending on how far away and how deep they are. 2026 is not a full year yet — it only counts up to today. Source: USGS Earthquake Catalog.
What the last year looked like near Española
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 5 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 1 biggest earthquakes on record near Española (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M4.2 | 5 km E of Capulin, New Mexico | Jul 12, 2021, 15:33 UTC | 65 km |
Nearby places
El Rancho, NM (11 km) · Pojoaque, NM (12 km) · Chimayo, NM (12 km) · Santa Fe, NM (36 km) · Los Alamos, NM (23 km) · White Rock, NM (21 km)
USGS data fetched Nov 03, 2026, 21:45 UTC · page built Nov 03, 2026, 21:45 UTC. How to read this page: recent-window counts cover M1.5+ events within 100 km; the 10-year layer is based on M3.0+ and the history layer on M4.0+ since 1980. Recording completeness varies by era and region — small quakes from early decades are under-recorded, so “no record” does not prove “never happened”. Depths are relative to sea level and can be slightly negative for shallow events in elevated terrain. Method: data & methodology.