QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Rockport, MA

No earthquake was likely felt in Rockport in the 24 hours to 4:03 am EST (09:03 UTC). The last one was M 3.8, 46 km (28 mi) N, at 10:22 am EST on 27 January 2025, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 42,440 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Rockport

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 28 km (17 mi) northeast of Rockport, MA, at 10:17 pm EDT on 26 April 2019 (02:17 UTC), 7.9 km deep.

USGS: 27 km NE of Rockport, Massachusetts

75 km (47 mi) NE of Boston, MA · 59 km (37 mi) ENE of Peabody, MA

10:17 pm EDT, Apr 26, 2019 · · 7.9 km deep · released about 43 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Essex County 46 kmRockingham County 64 kmYork County 73 kmSuffolk County 75 kmStrafford County 77 kmMiddlesex County 92 kmPlymouth County 97 kmNorfolk County 98 kmCumberland County 111 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
10:17 pm EDT on 26 April 2019 ()
Where
28 km (17 mi) northeast of Rockport, MA · earthquakes near Rockport
Massachusetts today
every earthquake in Massachusetts in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
7.9 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Essex County, 46 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2680 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 27 km (17 mi) from the epicentre. In Rockport, 28 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 43 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 43 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 42.8106, -70.3564. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Essex County, MA 46 km (28 mi) WSW earthquakes near Essex County
Rockingham County, NH 64 km (40 mi) WNW earthquakes near Rockingham County
York County, ME 73 km (45 mi) NNW earthquakes near York County
Suffolk County, MA 75 km (47 mi) SW earthquakes near Suffolk County
Strafford County, NH 77 km (48 mi) NW earthquakes near Strafford County
Middlesex County, MA 92 km (57 mi) WSW earthquakes near Middlesex County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 34 km SE of York Beach, Maine
  2. 1.6 3 km SSE of Greenland, New Hampshire
  3. 2.0 13 km SE of York Harbor, Maine
  4. 2.0 10 km SE of York Harbor, Maine
  5. 3.8 9 km SE of York Harbor, Maine
  6. 2.3 54 km E of Rockport, Massachusetts
  7. 1.9 42 km ENE of Rockport, Massachusetts
  8. 2.0 15 km N of Rockport, Massachusetts
  9. 2.4 29 km ESE of York Beach, Maine
  10. 1.9 1 km SSW of Rye, New Hampshire
  11. 1.5 27 km SE of Gloucester, Massachusetts

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.