Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.2md
Hillsborough, NC
Yes. A magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded in Hillsborough, NC, 22 km (14 mi) WNW of Durham, NC, at 11:49 am EDT on 19 October 2023 (15:49 UTC), 5.4 km deep. 72 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
22 km (14 mi) WNW of Durham, NC · 16 km (10 mi) NNW of Chapel Hill, NC
- When
- Magnitude
- M 2.2 (md)
- Depth
- 5.4 km below the surface
- Felt
- 72 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- Orange County, 2 km NNE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1052 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Hillsborough, NC
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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 34 km (21 mi) from the epicentre. 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: Hillsborough, Mebane, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Saxapahaw, Green Level.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 69 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 220,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 150,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 14× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.2 about 69 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.
Where
Epicentre 36.0478, -79.1313. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County, NC | 2 km (1 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Orange County |
| Durham County, NC | 23 km (14 mi) | E | earthquakes near Durham County |
| Alamance County, NC | 24 km (15 mi) | W | earthquakes near Alamance County |
| Chatham County, NC | 40 km (25 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Chatham County |
| Person County, NC | 40 km (25 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Person County |
| Caswell County, NC | 43 km (27 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Caswell County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
No further earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
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.