QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Ketchum, ID

No earthquake was likely felt in Ketchum in the 24 hours to 10:15 pm MST (05:15 UTC). The last one was M 4.3, 68 km (43 mi) NNE, at 11:05 am MDT on 8 June 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 27 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Ketchum

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 41 km (25 mi) northwest of Ketchum, ID, at 3:14 am MDT on 22 September 2018 (09:14 UTC), 14 km deep.

USGS: 34 km SE of Stanley, Idaho

3:14 am MDT, Sep 22, 2018 · · 14 km deep · released about 8.1 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Custer County 49 kmCamas County 52 kmBoise County 82 kmBlaine County 86 kmElmore County 89 kmGooding County 111 kmLincoln County 116 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
3:14 am MDT on 22 September 2018 ()
Where
41 km (25 mi) northwest of Ketchum, ID · earthquakes near Ketchum
Idaho today
every earthquake in Idaho in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Custer County, 49 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Sawtooth fault, 13 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2970 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Ketchum, 41 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.1 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 120× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.1 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 43.9640, -114.6862. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Custer County, ID 49 km (30 mi) NE earthquakes near Custer County
Camas County, ID 52 km (32 mi) S earthquakes near Camas County
Boise County, ID 82 km (51 mi) W earthquakes near Boise County
Blaine County, ID 86 km (54 mi) SE earthquakes near Blaine County
Elmore County, ID 89 km (56 mi) SW earthquakes near Elmore County
Gooding County, ID 111 km (69 mi) S earthquakes near Gooding County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 20 km SSW of Clayton, Idaho
  2. 1.9 13 km SE of Stanley, Idaho
  3. 2.1 14 km SE of Stanley, Idaho
  4. 2.4 17 km SSE of Clayton, Idaho
  5. 2.8 13 km SSE of Clayton, Idaho
  6. 1.8 25 km SSW of Clayton, Idaho
  7. 2.4 25 km SSW of Clayton, Idaho
  8. 1.7 7 km N of Stanley, Idaho
  9. 2.1 8 km SE of Clayton, Idaho
  10. 2.0 7 km N of Stanley, Idaho
  11. 1.5 11 km W of Clayton, Idaho
  12. 1.6 11 km W of Clayton, Idaho
  13. 1.7 southern Idaho
  14. 1.8 15 km SSE of Clayton, Idaho
  15. 1.6 19 km NW of Clayton, 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.