ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed two earthquakes struck Tuesday morning on the west side of the Albuquerque metro.

According to the USGS, a 2.5-magnitude earthquake happened around 9:36 a.m., near the Double Eagle II Airport. About an hour earlier, around 8:11 a.m., a 2.8-magnitude earthquake struck farther to the north, closer to Rio Rancho and near the Bernalillo-Sandoval County line.

Many people in Rio Rancho and Albuquerque’s West Side reported feeling some tremors around that time. The USGS released this intensity map showing the extent of the intensity of the shaking:

How common are earthquakes in New Mexico?

Earthquakes aren’t as common in New Mexico as they are in places like California and Alaska, but they do happen. Earlier this year, people in Carlsbad and Artesia felt ripples from a 4.0-magnitude earthquake, just months after feeling a ripples from a 5.2-magnitude earthquake in Texas. Around the same time, a pair of earthquakes rocked the Santa Fe National Forest.

In November 2022, as many as six earthquakes rocked an area near the Texas-New Mexico border, sending ripples into our state.

The last time an earthquake struck within Albuquerque was Jan. 4, 1971, according to the USGS. The epicenter of the 4.7-magnitude earthquake was in the 1800 block of Morningside Dr. N.E., just south of Indian School and southeast of Indian School and Carlisle.

A little over a month before that, a 4.5-magnitude earthquake struck in the 1500 block of Bryn Mawr Dr. N.E., near Haines and just southeast of Indian School and Girard.

According to the USGS, a 2.9-magnitude earthquake also struck Dec. 9, 1991, on the Isleta Pueblo, while a 3.5-magnitude earthquake struck more recently, on Sept. 29, 2012, near Belen.