QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.6mb_lg

Earthquake near Eastport, ME

No earthquake was likely felt in Eastport in the 24 hours to 7:52 pm EST (00:52 UTC). The last one was M 1.8, 16 km (10 mi) NNE, at 8:41 am EDT on 19 July 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Eastport

This page: a magnitude 3.6 earthquake was recorded 9 km (6 mi) east-southeast of Eastport, ME, at 6:56 am EST on 2 February 2016 (11:56 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 30 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8 km E of Lubec, Maine

6:56 am EST, Feb 2, 2016 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 3.8 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Washington County 59 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
6:56 am EST on 2 February 2016 ()
Where
9 km (6 mi) east-southeast of Eastport, ME · earthquakes near Eastport
Magnitude
M 3.6 (mb_lg)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
30 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Washington County, 59 km W
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3822 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 339 km (211 mi) from the epicentre. In Eastport, 9 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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.

Likely felt in: Calais 47 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 3.8 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 45,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.6 about 3.8 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 7.9× more

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 · 29 km WNW 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 44.8710, -66.8780. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Washington County, ME 59 km (36 mi) W earthquakes near Washington County
Hancock County, ME 123 km (76 mi) WSW earthquakes near Hancock County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 14 km ESE of Saint Andrews, Canada
  2. 1.5 20 km ENE of Saint Andrews, Canada
  3. 2.2 22 km NE of Saint Andrews, Canada
  4. 1.6 8 km ENE of Lubec, Maine
  5. 1.8 24 km ENE of Saint Andrews, Canada
  6. 2.0 14 km NNE of Eastport, Maine
  7. 1.7 37 km ENE of Saint Andrews, Canada
  8. 1.7 9 km E of Saint Andrews, Canada
  9. 2.6 8 km SE of Saint Andrews, Canada
  10. 1.6 Maine
  11. 3.0 4 km WNW of Robbinston, Maine
  12. 2.4 4 km NW of Robbinston, Maine
  13. 1.9 4 km SE of Saint Andrews, Canada
  14. 1.6 37 km NE of Fundy Bay, Canada
  15. 1.5 25 km SE of Cutler, 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.