Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near Lake Monticello, VA
No earthquake was likely felt in Lake Monticello in the 24 hours to 11:04 am EST (16:04 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 52 km (33 mi) SSW, at 1:08 pm EDT on 6 May 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2,177 felt reports to USGS.
M 2.7
Latest: 5:04 am EST on 3 February 2020 · 28 km (17 mi) E of Lake Monticello, VA
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Lake Monticello was M 2.7, 28 km (17 mi) E of Lake Monticello, VA, at 5:04 am EST on 3 February 2020, 8 km deep. 345 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in Lake Monticello was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 5 smaller earthquakes have been recorded near Lake Monticello since; the newest is first in the list below.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of Lake Monticello in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 0 · since 2016, about one every 16 months
- Last 12 months
- 0
- Since 2016
- 8 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 2.7 on 3 February 2020, 28 km (17 mi) E of Lake Monticello, VA
- Reported felt
- 7 of them have felt reports to USGS
- Nearest mapped fault
- Central Virginia seismic zone, under 1 km from its surface trace
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)
- Earthquakes in Virginia — 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 Lake Monticello, VA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Lake Monticello, VA. 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 8
- 1.8 30 km (19 mi) E of Lake Monticello, VA · felt by 7
- 1.6 28 km (17 mi) E of Lake Monticello, VA · felt by 2
- 2.3 27 km (17 mi) E of Lake Monticello, VA · felt by 36
- 2.3 27 km (17 mi) E of Lake Monticello, VA · felt by 17
- 2.3 23 km (14 mi) SSE of Lake Monticello, VA · felt by 12
- 2.7 28 km (17 mi) E of Lake Monticello, VA · felt by 345
- 2.3 25 km (16 mi) SE of Lake Monticello, VA · felt by 34
- 2.3 30 km (18 mi) E of Lake Monticello, VA
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 Lake Monticello time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after Lake Monticello are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near Lake Monticello, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is Lake Monticello; dots are the 8 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in Lake Monticello
The strongest shaking in Lake Monticello from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity II (weak), from the M 2.7 on 3 February 2020, 28 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 Lake Monticello (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 2.7 | 28 km | II · Weak · felt by 345 | |
| M 2.3 | 23 km | II · Weak · felt by 12 | |
| M 2.3 | 27 km | II · Weak · felt by 36 | |
| M 2.3 | 25 km | II · Weak · felt by 34 | |
| M 2.3 | 27 km | II · Weak · felt by 17 |
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. All 5 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km of Lake Monticello:
- 5.8 11 km SSW of Mineral, Virginia · 35 km E of Lake Monticello
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- Central Virginia seismic zone, under 1 km from its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Near is not the same as on.
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.