STATE
'I thought it was all in my head! 3.9 earthquake jolts Valencia County
Activity begins with 3.7 jolt near Abeytas; minutes later, a slightly stronger one hits near Las Nutrias
It wasn't your dog or your coffee shaking Sunday morning.
A series of light earthquakes rattled Valencia County, with the strongest reaching magnitude 3.9, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The cluster continues a long-observed pattern of seismic activity tied to the Socorro magma body about 1 hour south/southwest of sa国际传媒官网网页入口.
The activity began with a magnitude 3.7 earthquake near Abeytas. Minutes later, a slightly stronger magnitude 3.9 quake near Las Nutrias had residents across the county checking their walls, pets and sanity around 11:45 a.m.
Two smaller quakes, measuring magnitudes 2.7 and 2.9, followed later in the afternoon west of the earlier epicenters.
Dr. Mairi Litherland of the New Mexico Bureau of Geology said the pattern is familiar for the region.
"This sort of cluster of earthquakes is pretty typical of what we see associated with the Socorro magma body," Litherland said.
About 12 miles beneath the surface, a slowly expanding magma body puts stress on the crust, triggering small earthquakes, she said.
"This whole area around Socorro is the most seismically active part of New Mexico," Litherland said. "This isn't something new. We've seen swarms like this going back decades."
While the swarm could taper off or continue, Litherland said nothing suggests an unusual or escalating threat.
"There's a possibility there could be larger events, but there's no reason to think anything outside the typical is likely."
Valencia County Fire Chief Matt Propp said no injuries or damage were reported, though many residents felt the shaking and took to the fire department's Facebook page to compare notes.
"I felt it here in Los Lunas! I was lying in bed watching TV and felt the bed and floor move. I thought it was all in my head!" Vanessa Gutierrez commented.
"It shook me here in Belen," added Wilma Ulibarri. "As I was walking, I felt my legs shake. It knocked my balance off, and it took me a few seconds to regain it."
Hayley Griggs wrote on the News-Bulletin's Facebook page that she was startled by the quake.
"I was in the bathroom, and I thought someone finally hit the side of my house in Veguita off N.M. 304. I was relieved it was an earthquake lol," she wrote.
One commenter, Jamie Hatchett, joked about oilfield activity, though Litherland clarified that, unlike in other parts of the state, Valencia County's earthquakes are natural and not tied to drilling.
Litherland noted that while oil- and gas-producing regions in New Mexico have experienced an increase in human-induced earthquakes, the Socorro area has a long, well-documented history of natural seismic activity.
"We do see faults slipping and earthquakes," Litherland said. "But the magma body is deep, so we haven't seen magma coming to the surface. Mostly, we just see it in these earthquakes."
Litherland encouraged residents to practice basic earthquake safety.
"If they feel an earthquake, they should drop, cover and hold on," she said. "They can report the earthquake they felt through the USGS 'Did You Feel It?' website."
Aubrie Moore is an intern with the New Mexico Local News Fellowships and Internships Program, which places emerging journalists in newsrooms across New Mexico. Learn more at newmexicolocalnewsfellowships.org.
