QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2mlg

Earthquake near Augusta, GA

No earthquake was likely felt in Augusta in the 24 hours to 7:28 am EST (12:28 UTC). The last one was M 2.7, 41 km (25 mi) NNW, at 11:22 am EDT on 5 July 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 67 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Augusta

This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) southwest of Augusta, GA, at 11:14 am EDT on 20 June 2017 (15:14 UTC), 13 km deep. 1,773 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6 km SW of Augusta, Georgia

9 km (5 mi) NE of Augusta-Richmond County, GA

11:14 am EDT, Jun 20, 2017 · · 13 km deep · released about 1,900 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Richmond County 9 kmColumbia County 26 kmAiken County 38 kmEdgefield County 39 kmBurke County 41 kmMcDuffie County 43 kmJefferson County 56 kmLincoln County 57 kmBarnwell County 57 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
11:14 am EDT on 20 June 2017 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) southwest of Augusta, GA · earthquakes near Augusta
Magnitude
M 3.2 (mlg)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
1,773 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Nearest
Richmond County, 9 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1912 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 189 km (117 mi) from the epicentre. In Augusta, 6 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: North Augusta, Martinez, Belvedere, Clearwater, Hephzibah, Evans.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,900 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 7,900× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 5,600× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 1,900 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2× more

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 33.4275, -82.0168. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Richmond County, GA 9 km (6 mi) SW earthquakes near Richmond County
Columbia County, GA 26 km (16 mi) WNW earthquakes near Columbia County
Aiken County, SC 38 km (24 mi) ENE earthquakes near Aiken County
Edgefield County, SC 39 km (25 mi) N earthquakes near Edgefield County
Burke County, GA 41 km (25 mi) S earthquakes near Burke County
McDuffie County, GA 43 km (27 mi) W earthquakes near McDuffie County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 14 km NW of Grovetown, Georgia
  2. 2.7 11 km ENE of Parksville, South Carolina
  3. 1.7 11 km N of Harlem, Georgia
  4. 1.9 12 km N of Harlem, Georgia
  5. 1.8 14 km WNW of Evans, Georgia
  6. 1.9 14 km NW of Grovetown, Georgia
  7. 2.0 14 km NW of Grovetown, Georgia
  8. 2.2 9 km SE of Lincolnton, Georgia
  9. 2.1 8 km NE of Parksville, South Carolina
  10. 1.9 11 km SE of Jackson, South Carolina
  11. 2.1 15 km NW of Grovetown, Georgia
  12. 2.2 15 km N of Harlem, Georgia
  13. 1.8 16 km NNE of Thomson, Georgia
  14. 2.4 10 km NE of Parksville, South Carolina
  15. 2.1 7 km SSW of Augusta, Georgia

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.