No damage reported following early-morning earthquake in Cibola County
GRANTS, N.M. — A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck near San Mateo early Saturday morning, producing light to moderate shaking across portions of Cibola County but no reported damage.
The earthquake occurred at approximately 4:19 a.m. MDT Aug. 22, with an epicenter about 10 kilometers — roughly 6 miles — east-southeast of San Mateo. The earthquake occurred at a depth of approximately 10 kilometers, or 6.2 miles.
Cibola County Emergency Manager Dustin Middleton confirmed the earthquake Saturday morning and said officials had received no reports of damage.
“According to the information I received, there was a mild quake near San Mateo, no reports of damage at this time,” Middleton told the Citizen.
The earthquake registered a magnitude of 4.1 and generated reports from people who felt the shaking in communities around the area.
According to earthquake intensity estimates displayed by EarthquakeTracker, Grants experienced an estimated Modified Mercalli Intensity of 3.5, categorized as light shaking. Milan registered an estimated intensity of 3.2 and Skyline-Ganipa 3.1, also categorized as light. San Rafael and Mesita were estimated at 3.0, categorized as weak shaking.
The Modified Mercalli Intensity scale differs from an earthquake’s magnitude. Magnitude measures the overall size of an earthquake at its source, while the Mercalli scale describes how strongly the shaking is experienced at particular locations.
Information provided to Cibola County Emergency Management indicated that 24 people had submitted reports of feeling the earthquake, with the strongest reported shaking reaching approximately 4.5 on the Modified Mercalli scale, or moderate shaking.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s PAGER system issued a green alert for the earthquake, indicating a low likelihood of significant casualties or economic losses.
Saturday’s earthquake follows a smaller magnitude 2.9 earthquake recorded near Zuni Thursday morning. There is currently no information establishing that the two earthquakes are related.
The Citizen is seeking additional information from earthquake and geology experts about Saturday’s event and seismic activity in western New Mexico.
DID YOU FEEL THIS EARTHQUAKE?
Alert the USGS of your experience: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000tms8/tellus