Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 3.2ml
Earthquake near Rio Verde, AZ
USGS: 11 km ENE of Rio Verde, Arizona
53 km (33 mi) ENE of Phoenix, AZ · 29 km (18 mi) ENE of Scottsdale, AZ
- When
- 7:51 pm MST on 9 December 2016 ()
- Where
- 12 km (7 mi) ENE of Rio Verde, AZ · earthquakes near Rio Verde
- Magnitude
- M 3.2 (ml)
- Depth
- 3.3 km below the surface
- Felt
- 33 reports · strongest reported intensity III
- Nearest
- Gila County, 70 km E
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2358 days ago
A magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) ENE of Rio Verde, AZ, at 7:51 pm MST on 9 December 2016 (02:51 UTC). 33 people have reported feeling it to USGS. This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Fountain Hills, Tonto Basin.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 1,900 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 180,000× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 7,900× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 5,600× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 3.2 about 1,900 lb of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2× 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 33.7691, -111.5645. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gila County, AZ | 70 km (43 mi) | E | earthquakes near Gila County |
| Pinal County, AZ | 96 km (60 mi) | S | earthquakes near Pinal County |
| Maricopa County, AZ | 99 km (61 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Maricopa County |
| Yavapai County, AZ | 134 km (83 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Yavapai County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
3 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.6 1 km S of Roosevelt, Arizona
- 2.5 6 km S of Roosevelt, Arizona
- 2.5 2 km ESE of Roosevelt, Arizona
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.