mining explosion · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.0ml
Earthquake near Babbitt, MN
No earthquake was likely felt in Babbitt in the 24 hours to 1:02 pm CST (19:02 UTC). The last one was M 2.8, 46 km (28 mi) W, at 12:23 pm CDT on 2 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Babbitt
No: USGS classifies this as a mining explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 2.0 mining explosion was recorded 3 km (2 mi) south of Babbitt, MN, at 10:39 am CST on 7 December 2017 (16:39 UTC), less than 1 km deep.
USGS: 2 km S of Babbitt, Minnesota
- When
- 10:39 am CST on 7 December 2017 ()
- Where
- 3 km (2 mi) south of Babbitt, MN · earthquakes near Babbitt
- Magnitude
- M 2.0 (ml)
- Depth
- 0.0 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Lake County, 44 km ESE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3181 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Babbitt, MN
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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 Babbitt, 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: Hoyt Lakes, Ely, Aurora.
USGS catalogues this as mining explosion, not an earthquake.
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 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 47.6829, -91.9427. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, MN | 44 km (27 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Lake County |
| St. Louis County, MN | 44 km (28 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near St. Louis County |
| Cook County, MN | 120 km (74 mi) | E | earthquakes near Cook County |
| Bayfield County, WI | 130 km (81 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Bayfield County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
13 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.5 5 km NW of Biwabik, Minnesota
- 3.3 3 km SW of Babbitt, Minnesota
- 2.8 3 km ENE of Virginia, Minnesota
- 2.9 14 km NNE of Virginia, Minnesota
- 2.9 15 km NNE of Virginia, Minnesota
- 2.7 Minnesota
- 2.7 5 km NE of Virginia, Minnesota
- 2.4 8 km W of Babbitt, Minnesota
- 2.9 8 km SE of Eveleth, Minnesota
- 2.6 2 km NNW of McKinley, Minnesota
- 3.0 6 km NE of Virginia, Minnesota
- 2.1 11 km NNE of Virginia, Minnesota
- 2.0 0 km WNW of McKinley, Minnesota
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.