The map shows quakes of M1.5 and up from the last 90 days, the 6 biggest on record, and always the very latest quake — even if it was smaller than M1.5. The list below can include smaller ones the map leaves out. Tap any dot for details.
In the last 30 days, 0 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of Belen. Over the past year, M3.0+ quakes near Belen came at 13.6× the usual pace — busier than normal for this area. The biggest quake on record near Belen — records go back to 1980 — was the M4.6 of Nov 29, 1989, 06:54 UTC: 7 km W of Abeytas, New Mexico.
How we figure this: 15 quakes of M3.0 or bigger within 100 km in the last 12 months (Nov 03, 2025 – Nov 03, 2026), compared with an average of 1.1 a year across the full calendar years 2016–2025, counted the same way. This compares how often quakes happened in two past periods. It is not a forecast, and it does not mean a big earthquake is on its way — nobody can predict earthquakes.
Does a busier spell mean a bigger earthquake is coming?
Short answer: nobody can tell — and a busier spell by itself is not a warning sign. Bunches of small quakes are common around Belen, and most settle down on their own. Small quakes also do not “let off steam” that would prevent a big one: a single M7 releases roughly as much energy as 32,000 M4 quakes added together. Earthquakes cannot be predicted. What can be measured is the long-term pattern — the biggest quakes on record near Belen are listed further down this page.
Latest earthquakes near Belen
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M2.6 | 17 km E of Socorro, New Mexico | Sep 27, 2026, 09:45 AM | 5 km | 65 km S |
| M2.7 | 2 km NNW of Las Nutrias, New Mexico | Sep 15, 2026, 03:10 PM | 10 km | 19 km S |
| M2.7 | 11 km ESE of San Mateo, New Mexico | Aug 24, 2026, 04:51 PM | 10 km | 98 km NW |
| M3.0 | 16 km WSW of Pueblitos, New Mexico | Aug 18, 2026, 12:03 AM | 8 km | 18 km WSW |
| M3.0 | 15 km WSW of Pueblitos, New Mexico | Aug 17, 2026, 09:40 PM | 5 km | 17 km WSW |
| M2.8 | 15 km W of Pueblitos, New Mexico | Aug 17, 2026, 01:44 PM | 5 km | 16 km WSW |
| M3.2 | 16 km ESE of Magdalena, New Mexico | Aug 08, 2026, 06:30 AM | 11 km | 74 km SSW |
| M2.5 | 13 km W of Socorro, New Mexico | Jul 27, 2026, 10:21 AM | 10 km | 72 km SSW |
| M2.6 | 10 km W of Socorro, New Mexico | Jul 27, 2026, 05:36 AM | 9 km | 72 km SSW |
| M2.6 | 7 km WNW of Veguita, New Mexico | Jun 17, 2026, 02:05 PM | 14 km | 16 km SSW |
Earthquakes per year near Belen (M3.0 and up, within 100 km)
M3.0–3.9 M4.0+
Each bar is one year; taller means more quakes (M3.0 and up). The dark red part is the bigger ones (M4.0+), counted inside the number above each bar — not added on top. These may be felt, depending on how far away and how deep they are. 2026 is not a full year yet — it only counts up to today. Source: USGS Earthquake Catalog.
What the last year looked like near Belen
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 34 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 6 biggest earthquakes on record near Belen (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M4.6 | 7 km W of Abeytas, New Mexico | Nov 29, 1989, 06:54 UTC | 25 km |
| M4.5 | 6 km W of Abeytas, New Mexico | Jan 29, 1990, 13:16 UTC | 24 km |
| M4.4 | 4 km WSW of Abeytas, New Mexico | Nov 08, 1990, 10:46 UTC | 25 km |
| M4.1 | 6 km ENE of Escondida, New Mexico | Aug 16, 1985, 14:56 UTC | 59 km |
| M4.1 | 5 km N of San Acacia, New Mexico | Mar 02, 1983, 23:22 UTC | 41 km |
| M4.0 | 5 km WSW of Abeytas, New Mexico | Jan 31, 1990, 01:08 UTC | 25 km |
Nearby places
Rio Communities, NM (4 km) · Jarales, NM (6 km) · Los Chavez, NM (7 km) · Albuquerque, NM (48 km) · South Valley, NM (40 km) · Los Lunas, NM (16 km)
USGS data fetched Nov 03, 2026, 18:45 UTC · page built Nov 03, 2026, 18:45 UTC. How to read this page: recent-window counts cover M1.5+ events within 100 km; the 10-year layer is based on M3.0+ and the history layer on M4.0+ since 1980. Recording completeness varies by era and region — small quakes from early decades are under-recorded, so “no record” does not prove “never happened”. Depths are relative to sea level and can be slightly negative for shallow events in elevated terrain. Method: data & methodology.