Earthquakes low

M 3.0 Earthquake 56 km S of Whites City, New Mexico

Source: USGS · Southern New Mexico

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded by USGS near 56 km S of Whites City. On the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program scale, M3.0 is classified "Minor". Among the 1,740 earthquake reports Areazine has published, this M3.0 event ranks stronger than 1% of them (rank #1,608 by magnitude).

This earthquake report, quickly

Magnitude
M 3.0
USGS class
Minor
Location
56 km S of Whites City
Archive rank
#1,608 of 1,740
Source
USGS
Published
September 20, 2026
MINOR

Out of 1,740 earthquake reports Areazine has logged, this one outranks 1% of them — 1,607 recorded a higher magnitude.

Record status: USGS's reading at the moment of detection — the agency keeps revising magnitude, aftershock counts, and felt reports on its own event page as more data arrives.

What Happened

A magnitude 3.0 ml earthquake struck on October 18, 2026 at 12:23:40 UTC (1789878220140). The event was located 56 km S of Whites City, New Mexico, with a depth of 7.38 km.

Location Details

The earthquake occurred at coordinates 31.669, -104.364. The depth of 7.38 km is classified as shallow (less than 20 km).

Impact Assessment

No felt reports, tsunami advisory, or alert level were recorded for this event. The tsunami flag was set to 0.

What You Should Know

Earthquakes of this magnitude are often felt but rarely cause damage. Minor aftershocks remain possible in the region.

Source

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/tx2026sngzur (USGS)

Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗

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Elsewhere in the country: similar length or severity timing 8

Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this USGS earthquake report: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.

Similar body length

Nearest notices by article body length (690 characters here).

Bushfire Advice Alert for Belbora and Mid-Coast Area 690 chars Bushfire Advice Alert for Topi Topi in Mid-Coast Area 690 chars Bushfire Advice for Matheson and Gwydir Hwy Area 690 chars Bushfire Advice Issued for Howell Rd, Tingha Area 690 chars

Similar severity timing

Same severity (low) notices issued closest in time to September 20, 2026.

Yellow Frost Advisory for Nipigon - Rossport low M 2.7 ml Earthquake Reported in France on September 16, 2026 low M 3.1 - 16 km S of Ucluelet, Canada low Yellow Frost Advisory - Woodstock and Carleton County low

What People Ask

Questions readers often have about this USGS earthquake report.

How strong was this earthquake? ▾
A magnitude 3.0 ml earthquake occurred 56 km south of Whites City, New Mexico, at a depth of 7.4 km.
How should a magnitude 3.0 ("Minor") event be understood? ▾
The USGS classifies M3.0 as "Minor" on its Earthquake Hazards Program scale. Events in this range are rarely felt beyond the immediate epicenter and typically cause no damage; most are recorded only by seismographs.
Is this earthquake stronger or weaker than others in the archive? ▾
This is the #1,608 strongest of the 1,740 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive by magnitude, stronger than 1% of them and weaker than 1,607 others.
Was Whites City likely to feel this earthquake? ▾
This event was centered 56 km S of Whites City. Shaking intensity falls off sharply with distance from the epicenter and depends on depth and local geology, so check the USGS "Did You Feel It?" report for this event for real felt-shaking data rather than assuming from magnitude and distance alone.

Primary source data

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National Weather Service

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CDC Air Quality & Health

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