QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Starksboro, VT

No earthquake was likely felt in Starksboro in the 24 hours to 7:25 pm EST (00:25 UTC). The last one was M 3.7, 290 km (180 mi) NNW, at 11:57 am EDT on 19 March 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 122 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Starksboro

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) southeast of Starksboro, VT, at 3:38 am EST on 25 December 2016 (08:38 UTC), 1.7 km deep.

USGS: 3 km SE of Starksboro, Vermont

3:38 am EST, Dec 25, 2016 · · 1.7 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Addison County 21 kmChittenden County 29 kmWashington County 34 kmLamoille County 55 kmOrange County 57 kmEssex County 61 kmRutland County 66 kmGrand Isle County 70 kmFranklin County 73 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
3:38 am EST on 25 December 2016 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) southeast of Starksboro, VT · earthquakes near Starksboro
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
1.7 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Addison County, 21 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3521 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 17 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Starksboro, 3 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: Bristol, Lincoln, Hinesburg, Ferrisburgh, Vergennes, Charlotte.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 44.2048, -73.0289. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Addison County, VT 21 km (13 mi) SSW earthquakes near Addison County
Chittenden County, VT 29 km (18 mi) N earthquakes near Chittenden County
Washington County, VT 34 km (21 mi) ENE earthquakes near Washington County
Lamoille County, VT 55 km (34 mi) NE earthquakes near Lamoille County
Orange County, VT 57 km (36 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orange County
Essex County, NY 61 km (38 mi) W earthquakes near Essex County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 9 km NE of Granville, Vermont
  2. 2.2 11 km ENE of Ticonderoga, New York

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.