QuakeIndex

quarry blast · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Pinehurst, ID

No earthquake was likely felt in Pinehurst in the 24 hours to 7:01 am PST (15:01 UTC). The last one was M 3.3, 33 km (20 mi) E, at 10:03 pm PST on 10 February 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 93 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Pinehurst

No: USGS classifies this as a quarry blast, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.7 quarry blast was recorded 3 km (2 mi) west of Pinehurst, ID, at 2:32 pm PDT on 3 November 2016 (21:32 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 2 km W of Pinehurst, Idaho

88 km (55 mi) E of Spokane, WA · 43 km (27 mi) ESE of Coeur d'Alene, ID

2:32 pm PDT, Nov 3, 2016 · · -0.7 km deep · released about 9.3 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kootenai County 35 kmShoshone County 36 kmBenewah County 45 kmSpokane County 85 kmSanders County 86 kmLatah County 87 kmBonner County 91 kmMineral County 101 kmClearwater County 107 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
2:32 pm PDT on 3 November 2016 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) west of Pinehurst, ID · earthquakes near Pinehurst
Idaho today
every earthquake in Idaho in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
-0.7 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Kootenai County, 35 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3660 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Pinehurst, 3 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Kellogg, Osburn.

USGS catalogues this as quarry blast, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 9.3 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 100× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 9.3 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 47.5410, -116.2768. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kootenai County, ID 35 km (22 mi) WNW earthquakes near Kootenai County
Shoshone County, ID 36 km (23 mi) SE earthquakes near Shoshone County
Benewah County, ID 45 km (28 mi) SW earthquakes near Benewah County
Spokane County, WA 85 km (53 mi) W earthquakes near Spokane County
Sanders County, MT 86 km (53 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sanders County
Latah County, ID 87 km (54 mi) SSW earthquakes near Latah County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

60 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 2.2 0 km NNE of Mullan, Idaho
  2. 2.3 0 km E of Mullan, Idaho
  3. 2.4 1 km SSW of Mullan, Idaho
  4. 1.9 7 km S of Chatcolet, Idaho
  5. 2.1 10 km NNE of Wallace, Idaho
  6. 2.1 1 km NE of Mullan, Idaho
  7. 2.3 1 km NE of Mullan, Idaho
  8. 1.5 3 km S of Osburn, Idaho
  9. 1.6 0 km SE of Mullan, Idaho
  10. 1.5 Idaho-Montana border region
  11. 1.9 2 km SSE of Mullan, Idaho
  12. 1.7 6 km S of Saint Maries, Idaho
  13. 2.1 Idaho-Montana border region
  14. 1.7 2 km NNW of Mullan, Idaho
  15. 1.5 4 km NNE of Mullan, Idaho

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.