Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near Laurel, VA
No earthquake was likely felt in Laurel in the 24 hours to 8:35 am EST (13:35 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 11 km (7 mi) NW, at 2:50 am EST on 15 January 2025, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 246 felt reports to USGS.
M 2.8
Latest: 5:28 pm EST on 14 January 2025 · 11 km (7 mi) NW of Laurel, VA
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Laurel was M 2.8, 11 km (7 mi) NW of Laurel, VA, at 5:28 pm EST on 14 January 2025. 1,580 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in Laurel was intensity III (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 2 smaller earthquakes have been recorded near Laurel since; the newest is first in the list below.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of Laurel in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 0 · since 2016, about one every 10 months
- Last 12 months
- 0
- Since 2016
- 13 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 2.8 on 14 January 2025, 11 km (7 mi) NW of Laurel, VA
- Reported felt
- 13 of them have felt reports to USGS
- Nearest mapped fault
- Central Virginia seismic zone, 30 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 Laurel, VA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Laurel, 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 13
- 1.6 12 km (8 mi) WNW of Laurel, VA · felt by 162
- 2.3 11 km (7 mi) NW of Laurel, VA · felt by 246
- 2.8 11 km (7 mi) NW of Laurel, VA · felt by 1,580
- 2.3 8 km (5 mi) N of Laurel, VA · felt by 552
- 2.2 19 km (12 mi) WNW of Laurel, VA · felt by 40
- 2.4 24 km (15 mi) NNW of Laurel, VA · felt by 41
- 2.2 16 km (10 mi) N of Laurel, VA · felt by 17
- 1.8 22 km (14 mi) W of Laurel, VA · felt by 5
- 2.5 15 km (9 mi) WNW of Laurel, VA · felt by 194
- 2.5 29 km (18 mi) WNW of Laurel, VA · felt by 23
- 2.4 28 km (18 mi) WNW of Laurel, VA · felt by 8
- 2.6 28 km (17 mi) WNW of Laurel, VA · felt by 382
- 2.2 28 km (17 mi) NNW of Laurel, VA · felt by 32
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 Laurel time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after Laurel are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near Laurel, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is Laurel; dots are the 13 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in Laurel
The strongest shaking in Laurel from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity III (weak), from the M 2.8 on 14 January 2025, 11 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 Laurel (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 2.8 | 11 km | III · Weak · felt by 1,580 | |
| M 2.5 | 15 km | III · Weak · felt by 194 | |
| M 2.3 | 8 km | III · Weak · felt by 552 | |
| M 2.3 | 11 km | III · Weak · felt by 246 | |
| M 2.6 | 28 km | II · Weak · felt by 382 |
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 Laurel:
- 5.8 11 km SSW of Mineral, Virginia · 48 km NW of Laurel
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- Central Virginia seismic zone, 30 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.