QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Thermopolis, WY

No earthquake was likely felt in Thermopolis in the 24 hours to 9:45 am MST (16:45 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 19 km (12 mi) E, at 9:20 am MST on 8 March 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Thermopolis

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 7 km (5 mi) southwest of Thermopolis, WY, at 2:34 am MDT on 3 September 2022 (08:34 UTC), 9.7 km deep.

USGS: Wyoming

2:34 am MDT, Sep 3, 2022 · · 9.7 km deep · released about 30 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hot Springs County 19 kmWashakie County 58 kmFremont County 66 kmBig Horn County 106 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
2:34 am MDT on 3 September 2022 ()
Where
7 km (5 mi) southwest of Thermopolis, WY · earthquakes near Thermopolis
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
9.7 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Hot Springs County, 19 km NW
Nearest mapped fault
Stagner Creek fault, 19 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1457 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 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Thermopolis, 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.

Likely felt in: Thermopolis 7 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 30 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 350,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 32× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 30 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 43.5966, -108.2740. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hot Springs County, WY 19 km (12 mi) NW earthquakes near Hot Springs County
Washakie County, WY 58 km (36 mi) ENE earthquakes near Washakie County
Fremont County, WY 66 km (41 mi) SSW earthquakes near Fremont County
Big Horn County, WY 106 km (66 mi) NNE earthquakes near Big Horn County
Park County, WY 145 km (90 mi) NW earthquakes near Park County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 17 km ESE of Lucerne, Wyoming
  2. 3.3 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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.