QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2mb_lg

Earthquake near Calais, ME

No earthquake was likely felt in Calais in the 24 hours to 4:42 pm EST (21:42 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 212 km (132 mi) NNE, at 8:36 pm EST on 1 December 2024, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 74 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Calais

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 45 km (28 mi) north of Calais, ME, at 2:23 am EST on 9 February 2016 (07:23 UTC), 1.0 km deep.

USGS: 7 km ENE of Vanceboro, Maine

2:23 am EST, Feb 9, 2016 · · 1.0 km deep · released about 60 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Calais Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Washington County 72 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
2:23 am EST on 9 February 2016 ()
Where
45 km (28 mi) north of Calais, ME · earthquakes near Calais
Magnitude
M 2.2 (mb_lg)
Depth
1.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Washington County, 72 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3861 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 33 km (21 mi) from the epicentre. In Calais, 45 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 60 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 250,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 16× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 60 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 45.5870, -67.3420. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Washington County, ME 72 km (45 mi) SSW earthquakes near Washington County
Penobscot County, ME 105 km (65 mi) W earthquakes near Penobscot County
Hancock County, ME 139 km (87 mi) SW earthquakes near Hancock 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.

  1. 1.5 17 km NW of Vanceboro, Maine
  2. 1.8 28 km NNE of Vanceboro, Maine
  3. 2.3 16 km E of Danforth, Maine
  4. 1.7 8 km ENE of Vanceboro, Maine
  5. 2.5 7 km ESE of Vanceboro, Maine
  6. 1.6 7 km E of Vanceboro, Maine
  7. 2.2 8 km E of Vanceboro, Maine
  8. 1.7 5 km NE of Vanceboro, Maine
  9. 1.5 9 km ENE of Vanceboro, Maine
  10. 1.8 7 km ENE of Vanceboro, Maine
  11. 2.4 7 km ENE of Vanceboro, Maine
  12. 2.2 7 km ENE of Vanceboro, Maine
  13. 2.0 7 km ENE of Vanceboro, 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.