Shallow M5.0 Earthquake struck on Friday Evening near Carlsbad in The United States.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on February 15th, 2025. Last updated February 20th, 2025.

In the evening of Friday February 14th, 2025, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.0 earthquake hit under land 53 miles from Carlsbad in The United States. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 0.9 million people. Another country near the epicenter is Mexico.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 53 miles (85 km) south of Carlsbad in New Mexico. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 4 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Feb 14, 2025 10:23PM (Denver Time) - Feb 15, 2025 05:23 Universal Time.
Location:	53 mi south of Carlsbad, New Mexico, The United States. Coordinates 31°39'40"N 104°10'48"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.0 Detected by 30 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.057 .
Depth:	4 mi (6 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 0.9 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 0.9 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 10 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 660 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Mexico .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
656,500	III	Weak	Probably none
287,500	IV	Light	Likely none
220	V	Moderate	Very light
10	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: The United States and Mexico .

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Carlsbad in New Mexico, The United States. Carlsbad is located 53 miles (85 km) south of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Carlsbad is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Ciudad Juárez is located 216 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). El Paso is located 135 mi to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Odessa is located 107 mi to the east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
53 mi (85 km) N from epicenter	Carlsbad New Mexico, The United States.	IV Light
94 mi (152 km) NE from epicenter	Hobbs New Mexico, The United States.	IV Light
99 mi (160 km) E from epicenter	West Odessa Texas, The United States.	III Weak
107 mi (173 km) E from epicenter	Odessa Texas, The United States.	III Weak
119 mi (192 km) W from epicenter	Horizon City Texas, The United States.	III Weak
121 mi (195 km) N from epicenter	Roswell New Mexico, The United States.	IV Light
124 mi (200 km) W from epicenter	Socorro Mission Number 1 Colonia Texas, The United States.
125 mi (201 km) W from epicenter	Socorro Texas, The United States.
126 mi (202 km) E from epicenter	Midland Texas, The United States.	III Weak
216 km (134 mi) W from epicenter	Ciudad Juárez Chihuahua, Mexico.
135 mi (217 km) NW from epicenter	Alamogordo New Mexico, The United States.	IV Light
135 mi (218 km) W from epicenter	El Paso Texas, The United States.
141 mi (227 km) W from epicenter	Sunland Park New Mexico, The United States.
234 km (145 mi) S from epicenter	Manuel Ojinaga Chihuahua, Mexico.
235 km (146 mi) S from epicenter	Ojinaga Chihuahua, Mexico.
159 mi (256 km) WNW from epicenter	Las Cruces New Mexico, The United States.
163 mi (263 km) ENE from epicenter	Big Spring Texas, The United States.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VI. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 4 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 4 people have reported shaking in 2 places in Mexico.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico: 3 people.
Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico: 1 person.

5 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 5 smaller aftershocks. A 3.8 magnitude earthquake hit 2 mins later 0.9 mi (1.5 km) northwest of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 2 smaller foreshocks. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 2.8

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 2.8	2 days earlier Feb 12, 2025 04:37PM (Denver Time)	32 mi (52 km) NE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.7	2 days earlier Feb 12, 2025 04:59PM (Denver Time)	32 mi (52 km) NE from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.0	Feb 14, 2025 10:23PM (Denver Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.8	2 mins later Feb 14, 2025 10:25PM (Denver Time)	0.9 mi (1.5 km) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.7	3 mins later Feb 14, 2025 10:26PM (Denver Time)	0.8 mi (1.3 km) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.6	5 mins later Feb 14, 2025 10:28PM (Denver Time)	0.7 mi (1.2 km) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.5	3 days later Feb 17, 2025 04:27PM (Denver Time)	5 mi (8 km) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.9	3 days later Feb 17, 2025 07:01PM (Denver Time)	2.7 mi (4 km) NNE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since September 17th, 2024, when a 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit 135 mi (217 km) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck on November 16th, 2022.

In total, 5 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 years.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 4 mi (6 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 20/02/25 23:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.