Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near Portsmouth, RI
No earthquake was likely felt in Portsmouth in the 24 hours to 10:56 am EST (15:56 UTC). The last one was M 3.8, 172 km (107 mi) NNE, at 10:22 am EST on 27 January 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 42,440 felt reports to USGS.
M 3.6
Latest: 9:10 am EST on 8 November 2020 · 26 km (16 mi) ESE of Portsmouth, RI
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Portsmouth was M 3.6, 26 km (16 mi) ESE of Portsmouth, RI, at 9:10 am EST on 8 November 2020, 10 km deep. 19,622 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in Portsmouth was intensity III (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 3 smaller earthquakes have been recorded near Portsmouth since; the newest is first in the list below.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of Portsmouth in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 0 · since 2016, about one every 19 months
- Last 12 months
- 0
- Since 2016
- 7 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 3.6 on 8 November 2020, 26 km (16 mi) ESE of Portsmouth, RI
- Reported felt
- 5 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
For earthquakes near you, see Earthquake near me right now.
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)
- Earthquakes in Rhode Island — 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 Portsmouth, RI
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Portsmouth, RI. 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 7
- 1.9 22 km (14 mi) SW of Portsmouth, RI · felt by 21
- 1.6 4 km (3 mi) NNW of Portsmouth, RI · felt by 17
- 2.0 22 km (14 mi) ESE of Portsmouth, RI · felt by 69
- 3.6 26 km (16 mi) ESE of Portsmouth, RI · felt by 19,622
- 1.8 15 km (10 mi) S of Portsmouth, RI · felt by 11
- 1.6 29 km (18 mi) E of Portsmouth, RI
- 1.6 24 km (15 mi) WNW of Portsmouth, RI
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 Portsmouth time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after Portsmouth are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near Portsmouth, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is Portsmouth; dots are the 7 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in Portsmouth
The strongest shaking in Portsmouth from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity III (weak), from the M 3.6 on 8 November 2020, 26 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 Portsmouth (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 3.6 | 26 km | III · Weak · felt by 19,622 | |
| M 2.0 | 22 km | II · Weak · felt by 69 | |
| M 1.8 | 15 km | II · Weak · felt by 11 | |
| M 1.6 | 4 km | II · Weak · felt by 17 | |
| M 1.9 | 22 km | II · Weak · felt by 21 |
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. 3 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 Portsmouth.
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.