QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Bangor, ME

No earthquake was likely felt in Bangor in the 24 hours to 6:55 pm EST (23:55 UTC). The last one was M 3.8, 241 km (149 mi) SW, at 10:22 am EST on 27 January 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 42,440 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Bangor

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 29 km (18 mi) southwest of Bangor, ME, at 1:53 am EDT on 17 March 2024 (05:53 UTC), 5.0 km deep.

USGS: 2 km SSE of Monroe, Maine

1:53 am EDT, Mar 17, 2024 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Waldo County 16 kmHancock County 51 kmKnox County 62 kmKennebec County 63 kmLincoln County 78 kmPenobscot County 94 kmSagadahoc County 101 kmAndroscoggin County 106 kmWashington County 118 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
1:53 am EDT on 17 March 2024 ()
Where
29 km (18 mi) southwest of Bangor, ME · earthquakes near Bangor
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Waldo County, 16 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 908 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 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Bangor, 29 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: Swanville, Brooks, Frankfort, Winterport, Dixmont, Stockton Springs.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 89× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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 44.5967, -69.0094. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Waldo County, ME 16 km (10 mi) SSW earthquakes near Waldo County
Hancock County, ME 51 km (32 mi) E earthquakes near Hancock County
Knox County, ME 62 km (38 mi) S earthquakes near Knox County
Kennebec County, ME 63 km (39 mi) WSW earthquakes near Kennebec County
Lincoln County, ME 78 km (48 mi) SSW earthquakes near Lincoln County
Penobscot County, ME 94 km (59 mi) NNE earthquakes near Penobscot County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 2 km WSW of Jackson, Maine
  2. 2.1 3 km NE of Morrill, Maine
  3. 1.8 4 km SW of Blue Hill, Maine
  4. 1.8 3 km SE of Morrill, Maine
  5. 2.1 6 km NNE of Windsor, 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.