QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Deep River Center, CT

No earthquake was likely felt in Deep River Center in the 24 hours to 7:27 pm EST (00:27 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 10 km (6 mi) N, at 8:26 am EDT on 15 March 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 32 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Deep River Center

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) south-southwest of Deep River Center, CT, at 2:30 pm EDT on 17 March 2026 (18:30 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 5 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2 km SSW of Deep River Center, Connecticut

35 km (22 mi) SE of Meriden, CT · 147 km (91 mi) ENE of New York, NY

2:30 pm EDT, Mar 17, 2026 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region 8 kmSoutheastern Connecticut Planning Region 32 kmSouth Central Connecticut Planning Region 33 kmSuffolk County 50 kmCapitol Planning Region 52 kmNaugatuck Valley Planning Region 56 kmGreater Bridgeport Planning Region 66 kmNortheastern Connecticut Planning Region 67 kmWashington County 69 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
2:30 pm EDT on 17 March 2026 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) south-southwest of Deep River Center, CT · earthquakes near Deep River Center
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
5 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, 8 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 170 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Deep River Center, 3 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: Essex Village, Chester Center, Westbrook Center, Saybrook Manor, Old Saybrook, Killingworth.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.4 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 41.3578, -72.4484. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT 8 km (5 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region
Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT 32 km (20 mi) ENE earthquakes near Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region
South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT 33 km (21 mi) WSW earthquakes near South Central Connecticut Planning Region
Suffolk County, NY 50 km (31 mi) SSW earthquakes near Suffolk County
Capitol Planning Region, CT 52 km (32 mi) NNW earthquakes near Capitol Planning Region
Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT 56 km (35 mi) WNW earthquakes near Naugatuck Valley Planning Region

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

Aftershocks so far

1 earthquake has been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.6 6 km SW of Niantic, Connecticut

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.