Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.0md
Earthquake near Richmond, VA
No earthquake was likely felt in Richmond in the 24 hours to 10:30 am EST (15:30 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 21 km (13 mi) NW, at 2:50 am EST on 15 January 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 246 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Richmond
This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) west of Richmond, VA, at 3:36 pm EDT on 20 September 2020 (19:36 UTC), less than 1 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 13 km SW of Goochland, Virginia
47 km (29 mi) W of Richmond, VA
- When
- 3:36 pm EDT on 20 September 2020 ()
- Where
- 48 km (30 mi) west of Richmond, VA · earthquakes near Richmond
- Magnitude
- M 2.0 (md)
- Depth
- 0.0 km below the surface
- Felt
- 1 report · strongest reported intensity II
- Nearest
- Powhatan County, 9 km SE
- Nearest mapped fault
- Central Virginia seismic zone, 2 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 2174 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Richmond, 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 24 km (15 mi) from the epicentre. In Richmond, 48 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: Amelia Court House.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 30 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 500,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 350,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 32× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.0 about 30 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:
- 5.8 11 km SSW of Mineral, Virginia · 35 km N 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 37.5987, -77.9975. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powhatan County, VA | 9 km (6 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Powhatan County |
| Goochland County, VA | 15 km (9 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Goochland County |
| Cumberland County, VA | 24 km (15 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Cumberland County |
| Amelia County, VA | 30 km (18 mi) | S | earthquakes near Amelia County |
| Fluvanna County, VA | 36 km (22 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Fluvanna County |
| Louisa County, VA | 42 km (26 mi) | N | earthquakes near Louisa County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
18 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.4 11 km S of Woodlake, Virginia
- 3.0 8 km S of Dillwyn, Virginia
- 1.6 3 km SW of Wyndham, Virginia
- 2.3 1 km NE of Wyndham, Virginia
- 2.8 1 km NNE of Wyndham, Virginia
- 1.8 9 km S of Louisa, Virginia
- 2.3 18 km ENE of Cumberland, Virginia
- 2.3 4 km N of Glen Allen, Virginia
- 2.2 Virginia
- 1.6 16 km S of Louisa, Virginia
- 2.3 15 km S of Louisa, Virginia
- 2.3 16 km S of Louisa, Virginia
- 2.3 2 km WSW of Columbia, Virginia
- 1.8 9 km S of Louisa, Virginia
- 2.4 13 km NW of Ashland, 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.