Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near Onset, MA
No earthquake was likely felt in Onset in the 24 hours to 6:28 am EST (11:28 UTC). The last one was M 3.8, 147 km (92 mi) N, at 10:22 am EST on 27 January 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 42,440 felt reports to USGS.
M 1.8
Latest: 9:11 pm EST on 7 January 2026 · 19 km (12 mi) WSW of Onset, MA
The most recent earthquake near Onset was M 1.8, 19 km (12 mi) WSW of Onset, MA, at 9:11 pm EST on 7 January 2026, 10 km deep. 12 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in Onset was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of Onset in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 0 · since 2016, about one every 3 years
- Last 12 months
- 1 · largest M 1.8 on 7 January 2026
- Since 2016
- 4 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 2.1 on 3 December 2019, 26 km (16 mi) N of Onset, MA
- Reported felt
- 3 of them have felt reports to USGS
USGS · feed checked · newest earthquake in our database · this page · counts are earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km (19 mi) of the town centre; shaking is estimated for the town centre with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses
If you felt one
- Was that an earthquake? — checks what was recorded near you in the last hour
- Report what you felt to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us, and they are what produces the intensity maps
- Expect aftershocks, and be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel one; if you are in a damaged building, go outside and move away from it (Ready.gov, FEMA; what to do during and after an earthquake)
- Massachusetts earthquakes today — every one in the state in the last 24 hours
- Earthquakes in Massachusetts — with the state's activity score
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
Earthquake alerts for Onset, MA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Onset, MA. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
The last 30 days
The latest 4
- 1.8 19 km (12 mi) WSW of Onset, MA · felt by 12
- 2.1 26 km (16 mi) N of Onset, MA · felt by 48
- 1.7 in Onset, MA · felt by 11
- 1.6 23 km (14 mi) WSW of Onset, MA
From the QuakeIndex database, which reads the USGS feed every 30 seconds and holds the USGS catalogue for the US from 2016 (M1.5+). Times are Onset time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after Onset are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near Onset, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is Onset; dots are the 4 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in Onset
The strongest shaking in Onset from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity II (weak), from the M 1.7 on 21 August 2019, 1 km away. Intensity II and III are felt by some people at rest indoors; IV by most people indoors; V and above wakes sleepers and moves objects.
| Magnitude | When | Distance | Shaking in Onset (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 1.7 | 1 km | II · Weak · felt by 11 | |
| M 2.1 | 26 km | II · Weak · felt by 48 | |
| M 1.8 | 19 km | II · Weak · felt by 12 | |
| M 1.6 | 23 km | II · Weak |
An estimate for the town centre from magnitude, depth and distance, with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses (Atkinson & Wald, 2007), on the Modified Mercalli scale. 2 of these reach intensity II or more in town, where people at rest start to notice. Ground conditions change it street by street. It describes the past, not a hazard.
Before 2016
The USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km of Onset.
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Be ready
Earthquakes cannot be predicted, here or anywhere, so the useful step is the one taken beforehand. The advice below is from the agencies responsible for it.
- Ready.gov: earthquakes (FEMA) — what to do before, during and after, including Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- Build a kit (FEMA) — water, food and supplies for several days; our summary
- USGS: preparedness — the hazard behind the advice, from the agency that records every quake on this page
- The Great ShakeOut — the yearly earthquake drill, with material for homes, schools and workplaces
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.