The map shows quakes of M1.5 and up from the last 90 days, the 7 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, 10 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of Dexter, the biggest of them M3.6. Over the past year, M3.0+ quakes near Dexter came at 11.8× the usual pace — busier than normal for this area. The biggest quake on record near Dexter — records go back to 1980 — was the M4.4 of Apr 06, 2026, 20:01 UTC: 9 km SSW of Atoka, New Mexico.
How we figure this: 20 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 1.7 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.
Latest earthquakes near Dexter
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M2.5 | 23 km SSW of Lovington, New Mexico | Oct 21, 2026, 11:48 PM | 7 km | 96 km ESE |
| M2.7 | 20 km SW of Lovington, New Mexico | Oct 21, 2026, 03:34 AM | 7 km | 95 km ESE |
| M3.0 | 22 km SSW of Lovington, New Mexico | Oct 20, 2026, 09:56 AM | 2 km | 96 km ESE |
| M3.3 | 23 km SSW of Lovington, New Mexico | Oct 19, 2026, 11:25 AM | 7 km | 97 km ESE |
| M2.7 | 23 km NNW of Whites City, New Mexico | Oct 16, 2026, 06:23 PM | 2 km | 93 km S |
| M2.5 | 22 km W of Carlsbad, New Mexico | Oct 16, 2026, 05:35 PM | 6 km | 91 km S |
| M2.5 | 33 km SSE of Hope, New Mexico | Oct 16, 2026, 04:29 PM | 4 km | 80 km SSW |
| M3.6 | 18 km NNW of Whites City, New Mexico | Oct 14, 2026, 04:55 PM | 9 km | 97 km S |
| M3.1 | 21 km NNW of Whites City, New Mexico | Oct 14, 2026, 03:00 AM | 8 km | 95 km S |
| M3.6 | 23 km WSW of Carlsbad, New Mexico | Oct 13, 2026, 04:39 PM | 10 km | 92 km S |
Earthquakes per year near Dexter (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 Dexter
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 52 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 7 biggest earthquakes on record near Dexter (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M4.4 | 9 km SSW of Atoka, New Mexico | Apr 06, 2026, 20:01 UTC | 57 km |
| M4.1 | 25 km W of Carlsbad, New Mexico | Mar 28, 2010, 00:03 UTC | 85 km |
| M4.1 | 30 km SSW of Atoka, New Mexico | Dec 19, 2005, 20:27 UTC | 76 km |
| M4.0 | 15 km S of Atoka, New Mexico | Feb 23, 2024, 09:47 UTC | 63 km |
| M4.0 | 33 km SSE of Hope, New Mexico | May 31, 2010, 21:58 UTC | 78 km |
| M4.0 | 31 km SSW of Atoka, New Mexico | May 23, 2004, 09:22 UTC | 77 km |
| M4.0 | 26 km SSE of Hope, New Mexico | Mar 14, 1999, 22:43 UTC | 72 km |
Nearby places
Hagerman, NM (10 km) · Roswell, NM (26 km) · Artesia, NM (40 km) · Atoka, NM (48 km)
USGS data fetched Nov 03, 2026, 15:45 UTC · page built Nov 03, 2026, 15:45 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.