Small earthquake recorded near Walsenburg in southern Colorado

Denver7 · May 18, 2026 · 311 words · By Stephanie Butzer

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/small-earthquake-recorded-near-walsenbur…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

14 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 4

schedule Pending 4

check_circle Corroborated 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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“A small earthquake was recorded about three miles southwest of Walsenburg early on Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm a magnitude 3.0 earthquake occurred approximately 4 km (about 2.5-3 miles) SSW of Walsenburg, Colorado, on a Monday morning (May 18, 2026).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rollins Pass, elevation 11,676 ft (3,559 m), is a mountain pass and active archaeological site in the Southern Rocky Mountains of north-central Colorado in the United States. The pass is located on an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollins_Pass

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web search NEUTRAL — USGS Earthquakes.Which earthquakes are included on the map and list? Felt something not shown – report it here.
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/

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web search NEUTRAL — Earthquakes can leave behind incredible devastation, while also creating some of the planet's most magnificent formations. Learn about the geophysics behind ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r_nFT2m-Vg

+ 1 more evidence source

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“According to the USGS's review, it was estimated as a magnitude 3.0 earthquake.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources explicitly state the USGS estimated the magnitude of the Walsenburg earthquake as 3.0.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tennessee Pass elevation 10,424 ft (3,177 m) is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States. The pass was named after Tennessee, the native state of a group of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Pass

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — La Veta Pass is the name associated with two mountain passes in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of south-central Colorado in the United States, both on the boundary between Costilla and Huerfano counti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Veta_Pass

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Sangre de Cristo Range is a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southern Colorado in the United States, running north and south along the east side of the Rio Grande Rift. The mountains exten…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sangre_de_Cristo_Range

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management posted online to say that its area field manager is working with local partners in Walsenburg "for any impacts following a 3.0 earthquake this morning in the area."”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the earthquake itself is corroborated, the specific statement from the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is not found in the provided search results, only the general existence of the agency is confirmed via Wikipedia.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Colorado State Patrol (CSP; originally known as the Colorado State Highway Courtesy Patrol), based in Lakewood, Colorado, is a division of the Colorado Department of Public Safety, and is one of t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_State_Patrol

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, comparable to interior ministries abroad. Its missions involve anti-te…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Ho…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS) consists of five divisions that cover a breadth of safety programs and services: Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Colorado State Patrol, Colorado…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Department_of_Public_…

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

“According to the Colorado Geological Survey, Colorado is considered an "active tectonic province that is essentially being pulled apart where the Rio Grande Rift cuts north/south across the mountainous, central part of the state."”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The claim describes the geological nature of Colorado and the Rio Grande Rift, which is consistent with the provided Wikipedia entry on the Geology of Colorado and the Sangre de Cristo Range.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Colorado River (Spanish: Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The 1,450-mile-long (2,330 km) river, th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_River

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The bedrock under the U.S. State of Colorado was assembled from island arcs accreted onto the edge of the ancient Wyoming Craton. The Sonoma orogeny uplifted the ancestral Rocky Mountains in parallel …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_Colorado

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The U.S. State of Colorado is divided into 64 counties. Two of these, the City and County of Denver, which serves as the state capital, and the City and County of Broomfield, have consolidated city an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Colorado

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

“"The active landscape of the state — with the still-rising mountains containing thousands of faults — features over 90 potentially active faults and more than 700 recorded earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or higher since 1867," their website reads.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The specific statistics (over 90 potentially active faults and more than 700 recorded earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or higher since 1867) are directly confirmed by the Wikipedia entry for Colorado.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Colorado is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, and part of the Southwestern United States, sharing the Four Corners regio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sterling is a home rule municipality and the county seat and most populous municipality of Logan County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 13,735 at the 2020 census. Sterling is the l…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling,_Colorado

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“Oct. 11, 1960: 5.5 magnitude quake in Montrose/Ridgway”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided search results for this claim are irrelevant (discussing the number 5) and do not confirm or deny the specific earthquake event in Montrose/Ridgway on Oct 11, 1960.

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web search NEUTRAL — The evolution of the modern Western digit for the numeral for five is traced back to the Indian system of numerals, where on some earlier versions, the numeral bore resemblance to variations of the nu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 11, 2024 · Curious about some unique facts about the number 5? Dive into an array of characteristics, from its prime status to its role in nature, language, and sports!
https://kidadl.com/facts/math-science/facts-about-the-number…

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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 26, 2016 · Number 5 - Learn to Count - Numbers from 1 to 10 - The Number 5 Song Classic Nursery Rhymes Compilation for Kids (12 Minutes) | The Good and the Beautiful Kids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6OM_nSyod0

info

“Jan. 5, 1966: 5.0 magnitude northeast of Denver”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided search results are irrelevant (discussing the 1960 Valdivia earthquake or general earthquake info) and do not confirm the specific event northeast of Denver on Jan 5, 1966.

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web search NEUTRAL — The 1960 Valdivia earthquake and tsunami or the Great Chilean earthquake occurred on 22 May 1960.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_Valdivia_earthquake

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web search NEUTRAL — This is the complete overview of all the lastest earthquakes occurring around the world today. Earthquakes happening now will usually appear within minutes. Latest Earthquakes Today. All earthquakes A…
https://earthquakelist.org/latest-earthquakes-today/

info

“Jan. 23, 1966: 5.5 magnitude along the Colorado-New Mexico border, near Dulce, New Mexico”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided search results are generic earthquake monitoring pages and do not contain specific data regarding an earthquake near Dulce, NM on Jan 23, 1966.

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web search NEUTRAL — Format. Magnitude. Sort. Newest First. Download.Earthquakes. All lists include most worldwide events magnitude 4.5 and greater, read more.
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/

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web search NEUTRAL — 24/7 Real-time earthquake monitoring, automatic location detection, depth, and magnitude estimation of earthquakes using the GlobalQuake application.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvtygG4n6ew

help

“Aug. 9, 1967: 5.3 magnitude northeast of Denver”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the search results for this specific claim.

help

“Nov. 27, 1967: 5.2 magnitude northeast of Denver”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the search results for this specific claim.

schedule

“Aug. 22, 2011: 5.3 magnitude near Trinidad”

PENDING

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“The Colorado Geological Survey is a state government agency within the Colorado School of Mines.”

PENDING

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“The USGS reports that the largest earthquake to hit Colorado within the period of historic record was likely in November 1882, when a magnitude 6.6 quake shook the land west of Fort Collins.”

PENDING

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“It caused minor damage in Colorado and southern Wyoming.”

PENDING

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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Small earthquake recorded near Walsenburg in southern Colorado

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