QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Patten, ME

No earthquake was likely felt in Patten in the 24 hours to 3:59 am EST (08:59 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 185 km (115 mi) NE, at 8:36 pm EST on 1 December 2024, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 74 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Patten

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 47 km (29 mi) north-northwest of Patten, ME, at 5:01 am EDT on 4 July 2026 (09:01 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 11 km WSW of Oxbow, Maine

5:01 am EDT, Jul 4, 2026 · · 12 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Aroostook County 35 kmPiscataquis County 64 kmPenobscot County 110 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
5:01 am EDT on 4 July 2026 ()
Where
47 km (29 mi) north-northwest of Patten, ME · earthquakes near Patten
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Aroostook County, 35 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 54 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 5 km (3 mi) from the epicentre. In Patten, 47 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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.

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 46.3954, -68.6407. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Aroostook County, ME 35 km (22 mi) N earthquakes near Aroostook County
Piscataquis County, ME 64 km (40 mi) SW earthquakes near Piscataquis County
Penobscot County, ME 110 km (68 mi) S earthquakes near Penobscot County
Somerset County, ME 142 km (88 mi) SW earthquakes near Somerset County

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

Aftershocks so far

No further earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

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.