mine collapse · reviewed by a seismologist
M 3.7mwr
Earthquake near Richlands, VA
No earthquake was likely felt in Richlands in the 24 hours to 4:52 am EST (09:52 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 261 km (162 mi) SW, at 9:04 am EDT on 10 May 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 45,935 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Richlands
No: USGS classifies this as a mine collapse, not an earthquake. A magnitude 3.7 mine collapse was recorded 11 km (7 mi) north-northwest of Richlands, VA, at 5:53 am EDT on 18 July 2016 (09:53 UTC), less than 1 km deep. 31 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 11 km NNW of Richlands, Virginia
- When
- 5:53 am EDT on 18 July 2016 ()
- Where
- 11 km (7 mi) north-northwest of Richlands, VA · earthquakes near Richlands
- Magnitude
- M 3.7 (mwr)
- Depth
- 0.0 km below the surface
- Felt
- 31 reports · strongest reported intensity V
- Measured shaking
- intensity IV (ShakeMap)
- Nearest
- Buchanan County, 20 km WNW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3707 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Richlands, VA
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Alerts are on for .
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 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 370 km (230 mi) from the epicentre. In Richlands, 11 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.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Raven, Cedar Bluff, Claypool Hill, Honaker, Tazewell.
USGS catalogues this as mine collapse, not an earthquake.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 5.4 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.7 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 32,000× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 3.7 about 5.4 tons of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 11× 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 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 37.1892, -81.8317. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan County, VA | 20 km (13 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Buchanan County |
| Tazewell County, VA | 25 km (15 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Tazewell County |
| McDowell County, WV | 26 km (16 mi) | NE | earthquakes near McDowell County |
| Russell County, VA | 37 km (23 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Russell County |
| Dickenson County, VA | 46 km (29 mi) | W | earthquakes near Dickenson County |
| Smyth County, VA | 46 km (29 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Smyth County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
8 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.4 3 km NE of Dante, Virginia
- 2.6 9 km NNW of Richlands, Virginia
- 2.1 11 km NNW of Richlands, Virginia
- 2.4 9 km N of Richlands, Virginia
- 2.4 10 km NNW of Richlands, Virginia
- 2.6 10 km NNW of Richlands, Virginia
- 2.1 9 km N of Richlands, Virginia
- 2.8 3 km SE of Welch, West Virginia
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.