QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Weare, NH

No earthquake was likely felt in Weare in the 24 hours to 8:24 pm EST (01:24 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 27 km (17 mi) SSE, at 1:45 am EST on 2 January 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 221 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Weare

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) east of Weare, NH, at 3:19 am EDT on 8 March 2020 (07:19 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 5 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6 km E of Weare, New Hampshire

98 km (61 mi) NNW of Boston, MA · 20 km (13 mi) NW of Manchester, NH

3:19 am EDT, Mar 8, 2020 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 21 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hillsborough County 21 kmMerrimack County 24 kmRockingham County 46 kmBelknap County 51 kmCheshire County 52 kmStrafford County 55 kmSullivan County 55 kmMiddlesex County 71 kmEssex County 81 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
3:19 am EDT on 8 March 2020 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) east of Weare, NH · earthquakes near Weare
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
5 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Hillsborough County, 21 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2365 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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Weare, 7 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Goffstown, Hopkinton, Bow Bog, New Boston, Hooksett, Pinardville.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 21 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 710,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 500,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 45× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 21 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 43.0885, -71.6507. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hillsborough County, NH 21 km (13 mi) SSW earthquakes near Hillsborough County
Merrimack County, NH 24 km (15 mi) N earthquakes near Merrimack County
Rockingham County, NH 46 km (29 mi) ESE earthquakes near Rockingham County
Belknap County, NH 51 km (32 mi) NNE earthquakes near Belknap County
Cheshire County, NH 52 km (32 mi) WSW earthquakes near Cheshire County
Strafford County, NH 55 km (34 mi) ENE earthquakes near Strafford County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 2 km S of Bedford, New Hampshire
  2. 2.1 2 km NNW of Milford, New Hampshire
  3. 1.9 2 km N of Webster, New Hampshire
  4. 1.9 4 km ESE of Northfield, New Hampshire
  5. 1.5 5 km SSE of Boscawen, New Hampshire
  6. 2.0 5 km S of Alton, New Hampshire
  7. 1.6 2 km S of Henniker, New Hampshire
  8. 1.7 3 km SW of Townsend, Massachusetts
  9. 2.0 2 km WNW of Loudon, New Hampshire
  10. 2.7 5 km SW of Chichester, New Hampshire
  11. 2.2 1 km W of Andover, New Hampshire
  12. 2.1 4 km SE of Warner, New Hampshire
  13. 1.9 0 km SW of Bow Bog, New Hampshire
  14. 1.9 5 km SW of New Durham, New Hampshire
  15. 2.3 3 km NNE of Antrim, New Hampshire

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.