Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.5md
Earthquake near Blacksburg, VA
No earthquake was likely felt in Blacksburg in the 24 hours to 4:16 am EST (09:16 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 24 km (15 mi) WNW, at 4:44 am EDT on 11 August 2024, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Blacksburg
This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 27 km (17 mi) north-northeast of Blacksburg, VA, at 1:43 am EST on 10 December 2019 (06:43 UTC), 15 km deep. 44 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 21 km W of New Castle, Virginia
40 km (25 mi) WNW of Roanoke, VA
- When
- 1:43 am EST on 10 December 2019 ()
- Where
- 27 km (17 mi) north-northeast of Blacksburg, VA · earthquakes near Blacksburg
- Magnitude
- M 2.5 (md)
- Depth
- 15 km below the surface
- Felt
- 44 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- Craig County, 10 km E
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2443 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Blacksburg, VA
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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.
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 43 km (27 mi) from the epicentre. In Blacksburg, 27 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.
Likely felt in: Blacksburg 27 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 160 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 92,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 65,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.8× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.5 about 160 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 37.4662, -80.3448. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craig County, VA | 10 km (6 mi) | E | earthquakes near Craig County |
| Roanoke County, VA | 20 km (13 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Roanoke County |
| Monroe County, WV | 21 km (13 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Monroe County |
| Montgomery County, VA | 33 km (20 mi) | S | earthquakes near Montgomery County |
| Salem city, VA | 33 km (20 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Salem city |
| Giles County, VA | 35 km (22 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Giles County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
8 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.2 2 km N of Pembroke, Virginia
- 2.3 8 km WNW of New Castle, Virginia
- 2.5 2 km N of Pembroke, Virginia
- 2.3 2 km N of Pembroke, Virginia
- 1.9 16 km ESE of Union, West Virginia
- 2.6 4 km N of Lafayette, Virginia
- 2.8 10 km S of Narrows, Virginia
- 2.5 21 km W of New Castle, Virginia
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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.