Strong earthquake - magnitude 5.2 - hits eastern Arizona

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck a remote area of southeastern Arizona near the New Mexico border just before 10 p.m. Saturday night.  More than 2,000 reports of it being felt have been filed with the USGS, coming from all over southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico [below].  Ground shaking is reported as strong near the epicenter, and moderate to light or very light further away.  [Right, orange circles mark epicenters of main shock and aftershocks.  The light blue circle is the newest event. Credit, USGS]

Two aftershocks of magnitude 3.5 and 3.4 occurred within a couple of hours of the big shock and a 3.6 event occurred while I was writing this post Sunday morning. More aftershocks can be expected.

The epicenter is about 31 miles northwest of Lordsburg, 52 miles west-southwest of Silver City, and 89 miles northeast of Douglas.


AZGS geologists are examining our records for historical earthquakes in the region and any known active faults.  We'll share that information as it becomes available.