Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.6ml
Earthquake near Riverton, WY
USGS: 27 km NW of Jeffrey City, Wyoming
- When
- 10:04 pm MST on 17 November 2020 ()
- Where
- 48 km (30 mi) SSE of Riverton, WY · earthquakes near Riverton
- Magnitude
- M 2.6 (ml)
- Depth
- 10 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Fremont County, 62 km NW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2067 days ago
A magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) SSE of Riverton, WY, at 10:04 pm MST on 17 November 2020 (05:04 UTC). This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 240 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.6 about 240 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 42.6479, -108.0898. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fremont County, WY | 62 km (38 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Fremont County |
| Natrona County, WY | 114 km (71 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Natrona County |
| Hot Springs County, WY | 122 km (76 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Hot Springs County |
| Sweetwater County, WY | 127 km (79 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Sweetwater County |
| Carbon County, WY | 142 km (88 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Carbon 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.
- 3.8 29 km E of Atlantic City, Wyoming
- 2.5 29 km ENE of Atlantic City, Wyoming
- 2.9 37 km NNE of Jeffrey City, Wyoming
- 2.6 37 km SE of Riverton, Wyoming
- 2.7 32 km E of Atlantic City, Wyoming
- 2.5 44 km SE of Shoshoni, Wyoming
- 2.7 35 km ENE of Atlantic City, Wyoming
- 3.0 27 km NNE of Jeffrey City, Wyoming
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.