QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Kenduskeag, ME

USGS: 4 km NW of Kenduskeag, Maine

9:15 pm EST, Jan 17, 2018 · · 11 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Waldo County 54 kmPenobscot County 57 kmHancock County 64 kmKennebec County 86 kmSomerset County 99 kmKnox County 101 kmWashington County 108 kmPiscataquis County 108 kmFranklin County 113 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
9:15 pm EST on 17 January 2018 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) NW of Kenduskeag, ME · earthquakes near Kenduskeag
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Waldo County, 54 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3098 days ago

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) NW of Kenduskeag, ME, at 9:15 pm EST on 17 January 2018 (02:15 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Levant, Hudson, Bradford, Stetson, Hermon, Charleston.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.6 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 44.9475, -68.9761. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Waldo County, ME 54 km (33 mi) SSW earthquakes near Waldo County
Penobscot County, ME 57 km (35 mi) NNE earthquakes near Penobscot County
Hancock County, ME 64 km (40 mi) SE earthquakes near Hancock County
Kennebec County, ME 86 km (53 mi) SW earthquakes near Kennebec County
Somerset County, ME 99 km (61 mi) NW earthquakes near Somerset County
Knox County, ME 101 km (63 mi) S earthquakes near Knox County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 15 km S of Lowell, Maine
  2. 2.0 5 km ENE of Dover-Foxcroft, Maine
  3. 2.0 7 km ESE of Dover-Foxcroft, Maine
  4. 1.5 7 km ESE of Cambridge, Maine
  5. 1.7 3 km N of Sangerville, Maine
  6. 1.9 3 km SW of Sebec, Maine
  7. 1.6 4 km NNE of Bowerbank, Maine
  8. 1.7 2 km SSE of Monroe, Maine
  9. 1.8 1 km NE of Swanville, Maine
  10. 1.6 6 km ESE of Dedham, Maine
  11. 2.0 7 km E of Dedham, Maine
  12. 2.0 7 km ESE of Dedham, Maine
  13. 3.3 7 km ESE of Dedham, Maine
  14. 1.8 7 km E of Dedham, Maine
  15. 1.8 7 km ESE of Dedham, 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.