QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Red Bud, IL

No earthquake was likely felt in Red Bud in the 24 hours to 7:33 am CST (13:33 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 182 km (113 mi) ENE, at 2:05 am CDT on 29 June 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 392 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Red Bud

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) southeast of Red Bud, IL, at 1:04 am CDT on 13 March 2020 (06:04 UTC), 15 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km ENE of Ruma, Illinois

60 km (37 mi) SSE of St. Louis, MO

1:04 am CDT, Mar 13, 2020 · · 15 km deep · released about 82 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Randolph County 15 kmMonroe County 25 kmSt. Clair County 35 kmSte. Genevieve County 35 kmPerry County 51 kmPerry County 51 kmWashington County 51 kmJefferson County 54 kmSt. Louis city 60 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
1:04 am CDT on 13 March 2020 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) southeast of Red Bud, IL · earthquakes near Red Bud
Illinois today
every earthquake in Illinois in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Randolph County, 15 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
St. Louis-Cape Girardeau liquefaction features, under 1 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 2430 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 33 km (21 mi) from the epicentre. In Red Bud, 8 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: New Athens, Marissa, Sainte Genevieve, Sparta, Waterloo, Smithton.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 82 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 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 12× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 82 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 lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.1 Southwestern Illinois · 23 km WSW of this epicentre

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 38.1540, -89.9450. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Randolph County, IL 15 km (10 mi) SE earthquakes near Randolph County
Monroe County, IL 25 km (15 mi) NW earthquakes near Monroe County
St. Clair County, IL 35 km (22 mi) N earthquakes near St. Clair County
Ste. Genevieve County, MO 35 km (22 mi) SSW earthquakes near Ste. Genevieve County
Perry County, MO 51 km (32 mi) SSE earthquakes near Perry County
Perry County, IL 51 km (32 mi) E earthquakes near Perry County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 14 km SSE of Weingarten, Missouri
  2. 2.0 6 km SSW of Valmeyer, Illinois
  3. 2.2 15 km SW of Ozora, Missouri
  4. 2.3 4 km S of Valmeyer, Illinois
  5. 2.4 8 km SW of Ozora, Missouri
  6. 2.3 4 km E of Herculaneum, Missouri
  7. 2.4 1 km SSW of O'Fallon, Illinois
  8. 1.9 5 km NW of Weingarten, Missouri
  9. 2.5 eastern Missouri
  10. 2.2 6 km E of Ellis Grove, Illinois
  11. 2.0 4 km NNW of Venedy, Illinois
  12. 2.1 7 km SSW of Olympian Village, Missouri

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.