QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Eatonton, GA

No earthquake was likely felt in Eatonton in the 24 hours to 5:02 pm EST (22:02 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 253 km (157 mi) NNW, at 9:04 am EDT on 10 May 2025, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 45,935 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Eatonton

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) southeast of Eatonton, GA, at 10:13 am EST on 3 January 2023 (15:13 UTC), 2.0 km deep. 33 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 15 km SE of Eatonton, Georgia

59 km (37 mi) NE of Macon-Bibb County, GA · 122 km (76 mi) ESE of Atlanta, GA

10:13 am EST, Jan 3, 2023 · · 2.0 km deep · released about 98 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Putnam County 14 kmBaldwin County 18 kmHancock County 27 kmJones County 34 kmJasper County 39 kmGreene County 41 kmMorgan County 47 kmWilkinson County 47 kmWashington County 53 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
10:13 am EST on 3 January 2023 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) southeast of Eatonton, GA · earthquakes near Eatonton
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
2.0 km below the surface
Felt
33 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Putnam County, 14 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 855 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 39 km (24 mi) from the epicentre. In Eatonton, 16 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: Milledgeville, Hardwick, Sparta.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 98 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 5.8 150,000× 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 9.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 98 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 33.2178, -83.2840. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Putnam County, GA 14 km (9 mi) NW earthquakes near Putnam County
Baldwin County, GA 18 km (11 mi) S earthquakes near Baldwin County
Hancock County, GA 27 km (17 mi) ENE earthquakes near Hancock County
Jones County, GA 34 km (21 mi) SW earthquakes near Jones County
Jasper County, GA 39 km (24 mi) WNW earthquakes near Jasper County
Greene County, GA 41 km (26 mi) NNE earthquakes near Greene County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 13 km SSE of Eatonton, Georgia
  2. 2.0 14 km SSE of Eatonton, Georgia
  3. 2.5 2 km W of Sparta, Georgia
  4. 1.8 14 km SSE of Eatonton, Georgia
  5. 2.1 15 km NNW of Milledgeville, 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.