QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2mb_lg

Earthquake near Merritt Park, NY

No earthquake was likely felt in Merritt Park in the 24 hours to 12:32 am EST (05:32 UTC). The last one was M 2.8, 60 km (37 mi) SSW, at 12:11 pm EDT on 5 August 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3,546 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Merritt Park

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 9 km (6 mi) southeast of Merritt Park, NY, at 12:23 pm EDT on 22 October 2020 (16:23 UTC), 8.7 km deep. 154 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 9 km SE of Merritt Park, New York

91 km (57 mi) N of New York, NY · 28 km (18 mi) WNW of Danbury, CT

12:23 pm EDT, Oct 22, 2020 · · 8.7 km deep · released about 60 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Putnam County 7 kmDutchess County 31 kmWestchester County 36 kmWestern Connecticut Planning Region 37 kmRockland County 40 kmOrange County 43 kmGreater Bridgeport Planning Region 59 kmNaugatuck Valley Planning Region 60 kmBergen County 62 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
12:23 pm EDT on 22 October 2020 ()
Where
9 km (6 mi) southeast of Merritt Park, NY · earthquakes near Merritt Park
New York today
every earthquake in New York in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.2 (mb_lg)
Depth
8.7 km below the surface
Felt
154 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Putnam County, 7 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2132 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 32 km (20 mi) from the epicentre. In Merritt Park, 9 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: Brinckerhoff, Fishkill, Lake Carmel, Carmel, Carmel Hamlet, Mahopac.

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 41.4771, -73.8010. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Putnam County, NY 7 km (5 mi) SE earthquakes near Putnam County
Dutchess County, NY 31 km (19 mi) N earthquakes near Dutchess County
Westchester County, NY 36 km (23 mi) S earthquakes near Westchester County
Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT 37 km (23 mi) SE earthquakes near Western Connecticut Planning Region
Rockland County, NY 40 km (25 mi) SSW earthquakes near Rockland County
Orange County, NY 43 km (27 mi) W earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 1 km E of Elmsford, New York
  2. 1.5 3 km NNW of Chappaqua, New York
  3. 1.6 4 km SW of North Stamford, Connecticut
  4. 2.1 1 km SSE of Crown Heights, New York

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.