QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Calais, ME

USGS: 6 km W of Meddybemps, Maine

1:48 am EST, Dec 27, 2016 · · 6.0 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Calais Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Washington County 15 kmHancock County 90 kmPenobscot County 105 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
1:48 am EST on 27 December 2016 ()
Where
22 km (13 mi) SW of Calais, ME · earthquakes near Calais
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
6.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Washington County, 15 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3480 days ago

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 22 km (13 mi) SW of Calais, ME, at 1:48 am EST on 27 December 2016 (06:48 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.4 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:

  1. 5.7 Passamaquoddy Bay area, Maine · 19 km E 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 45.0293, -67.4414. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Washington County, ME 15 km (9 mi) WSW earthquakes near Washington County
Hancock County, ME 90 km (56 mi) SW earthquakes near Hancock County
Penobscot County, ME 105 km (65 mi) WNW earthquakes near Penobscot County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 9 km NW of Grand Lake Stream, Maine
  2. 1.6 4 km ENE of Centerville, Maine
  3. 2.0 14 km NNE of Eastport, Maine
  4. 1.6 Maine
  5. 1.6 4 km WNW of Jonesboro, Maine
  6. 1.9 5 km E of Centerville, Maine
  7. 2.6 4 km SE of Centerville, Maine
  8. 2.0 4 km WNW of Jonesboro, Maine
  9. 2.0 4 km WNW of Jonesboro, Maine
  10. 3.0 3 km SE of Centerville, Maine
  11. 1.7 3 km E of Centerville, Maine
  12. 2.6 4.7 km WNW of Jonesboro, Maine
  13. 1.8 3 km E of Centerville, Maine
  14. 1.6 Maine
  15. 2.8 4 km E of Centerville, Maine

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.