Was that an earthquake?

Check the last hour of recorded earthquakes near a location. If nothing shows up yet, that is not automatically a no — a small earthquake can take several minutes to reach the USGS catalogue, and the answer below says so when it applies.

Where were you?

Use my location Your browser will ask first. The coordinates are sent to our API to run the query and are not stored.

Or choose a state Select a state… AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaPuerto RicoRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

How long ago? In the last 15 minutes In the last hour In the last 3 hours

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If nothing was recorded

A single sharp bang with no recorded earthquake usually has another explanation. USGS itself catalogues some of them:

• A sonic boom. Common near military training routes and coastlines.
• A quarry blast or mining explosion. USGS catalogues these as separate event types, and QuakeIndex labels them as such rather than calling them earthquakes.
• Something structural or mechanical. A heavy vehicle, work on a nearby building, or a water hammer in the plumbing.

If you felt shaking rather than a bang, report it to USGS through Did You Feel It? Those reports are what produce the intensity maps, and they go to USGS, not to us.

Early warning is not this page

QuakeIndex reports what has already been recorded. Earthquake early warning — seconds of notice before shaking arrives — comes from ShakeAlert, delivered through Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone and through the MyShake app in California, Oregon and Washington. QuakeIndex does not issue warnings.