Magnitude 4.3 earthquake strikes southeast New Mexico near Texas border

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck southeast New Mexico near the Texas border on Monday afternoon, according to the USGS. The earthquake was felt in communities across the region.

The earthquake struck at 2:01 p.m. local time at a depth of 7 miles, according to the USGS. Its epicenter was about 9 miles south of Atoka and 18.5 miles northwest of Carlsbad.

Shaking was reported in communities near the epicenter, including Carlsbad, Artesia and Roswell. More than 130 felt reports were submitted to the USGS, while others took to social media to say they felt the earthquake.

“I thought I was hallucinating,” Monica Gonzalez said in a social media comment. “Room shook for at least 10 seconds.”

According to the USGS, the earthquake may have been felt lightly as far away as El Paso and Odessa in Texas, and as far as Alamogordo and Hobbs in New Mexico.

The area spanning West Texas and southeast New Mexico has experienced a surge in earthquakes in recent years, with more than 3,000 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or greater recorded in the region since 2020, according to USGS data.

Scientific studies have linked much of the increase to human activity, primarily wastewater injection into deep disposal wells, according to the USGS.