QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3ml

Earthquake near Thermopolis, WY

No earthquake was likely felt in Thermopolis in the 24 hours to 9:52 am MST (16:52 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 19 km (12 mi) E, at 9:20 am MST on 8 March 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Thermopolis

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 42 km (26 mi) southeast of Thermopolis, WY, at 8:04 am MDT on 30 July 2019 (14:04 UTC), 6.3 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 28 km NE of Shoshoni, Wyoming

8:04 am MDT, Jul 30, 2019 · · 6.3 km deep · released about 91 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Washakie County 56 kmHot Springs County 61 kmFremont County 73 kmNatrona County 97 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
8:04 am MDT on 30 July 2019 ()
Where
42 km (26 mi) southeast of Thermopolis, WY · earthquakes near Thermopolis
Magnitude
M 2.3 (ml)
Depth
6.3 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Washakie County, 56 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2659 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 19 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Thermopolis, 42 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 91 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 170,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 120,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 10× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 91 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.0 on 2017-11-03 — about 330 times the energy of this one.

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 43.3888, -107.8282. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Washakie County, WY 56 km (35 mi) NNE earthquakes near Washakie County
Hot Springs County, WY 61 km (38 mi) NW earthquakes near Hot Springs County
Fremont County, WY 73 km (46 mi) WSW earthquakes near Fremont County
Natrona County, WY 97 km (60 mi) ESE earthquakes near Natrona County
Johnson County, WY 123 km (77 mi) NE earthquakes near Johnson County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 17 km ESE of Lucerne, Wyoming
  2. 2.6 35 km ESE of Shoshoni, Wyoming
  3. 3.7 Wyoming
  4. 2.0 Wyoming
  5. 2.3 56 km ESE of East Thermopolis, Wyoming
  6. 3.6 43 km S of Ten Sleep, Wyoming
  7. 3.9 51 km S of Ten Sleep, Wyoming
  8. 2.9 11 km WSW of Thermopolis, Wyoming
  9. 2.8 30 km SSW of Ten Sleep, Wyoming

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.