QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Forest Oaks, NC

No earthquake was likely felt in Forest Oaks in the 24 hours to 7:30 am EST (12:30 UTC). The last one was M 2.0, 21 km (13 mi) SW, at 7:50 am EDT on 20 April 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 7 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Forest Oaks

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) northwest of Forest Oaks, NC, at 1:29 am EST on 28 January 2020 (06:29 UTC), 6.1 km deep. 152 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km NW of Forest Oaks, North Carolina

12 km (7 mi) SE of Greensboro, NC

1:29 am EST, Jan 28, 2020 · · 6.1 km deep · released about 94 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Forest Oaks Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guilford County 9 kmAlamance County 31 kmRandolph County 34 kmRockingham County 41 kmForsyth County 48 kmDavidson County 49 kmCaswell County 55 kmChatham County 56 kmOrange County 56 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
1:29 am EST on 28 January 2020 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) northwest of Forest Oaks, NC · earthquakes near Forest Oaks
North Carolina today
every earthquake in North Carolina in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
6.1 km below the surface
Felt
152 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Guilford County, 9 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1428 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 38 km (24 mi) from the epicentre. In Forest Oaks, 4 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Pleasant Garden, Greensboro, McLeansville, Jamestown, Gibsonville, Randleman.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 94 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 5.8 160,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 110,000× 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 94 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 36.0137, -79.7382. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guilford County, NC 9 km (5 mi) NNW earthquakes near Guilford County
Alamance County, NC 31 km (19 mi) E earthquakes near Alamance County
Randolph County, NC 34 km (21 mi) S earthquakes near Randolph County
Rockingham County, NC 41 km (26 mi) N earthquakes near Rockingham County
Forsyth County, NC 48 km (30 mi) WNW earthquakes near Forsyth County
Davidson County, NC 49 km (30 mi) WSW earthquakes near Davidson County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 7 km WNW of Randleman, North Carolina
  2. 1.7 8 km NW of Randleman, North Carolina
  3. 1.6 7 km NW of Randleman, North Carolina
  4. 2.4 7 km NW of Randleman, North Carolina
  5. 1.9 7 km NW of Randleman, North Carolina
  6. 1.9 7 km NW of Randleman, North Carolina
  7. 2.3 8 km WNW of Randleman, North Carolina
  8. 2.3 8 km NW of Randleman, North Carolina
  9. 2.2 3 km WSW of McLeansville, North Carolina
  10. 2.3 4 km WSW of McLeansville, North Carolina
  11. 2.0 6 km E of Archdale, North Carolina
  12. 1.9 5 km SW of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
  13. 2.0 7 km SSW of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
  14. 2.3 6 km SW of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
  15. 2.4 5 km SSW of Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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.