QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Gloucester, MA

No earthquake was likely felt in Gloucester in the 24 hours to 6:44 am EST (11:44 UTC). The last one was M 3.8, 51 km (32 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 Gloucester

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 27 km (17 mi) southeast of Gloucester, MA, at 4:40 am EDT on 1 July 2019 (08:40 UTC), 5.0 km deep.

USGS: 27 km SE of Gloucester, Massachusetts

53 km (33 mi) ENE of Boston, MA · 46 km (29 mi) E of Lynn, MA

4:40 am EDT, Jul 1, 2019 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Essex County 43 kmSuffolk County 53 kmPlymouth County 61 kmNorfolk County 73 kmRockingham County 81 kmMiddlesex County 82 kmBarnstable County 87 kmBristol County 99 kmStrafford County 105 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
4:40 am EDT on 1 July 2019 ()
Where
27 km (17 mi) southeast of Gloucester, MA · earthquakes near Gloucester
Massachusetts today
every earthquake in Massachusetts in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Essex County, 43 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2616 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 Gloucester, 27 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: Rockport.

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 42.4707, -70.3956. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Essex County, MA 43 km (27 mi) WNW earthquakes near Essex County
Suffolk County, MA 53 km (33 mi) WSW earthquakes near Suffolk County
Plymouth County, MA 61 km (38 mi) SSW earthquakes near Plymouth County
Norfolk County, MA 73 km (45 mi) WSW earthquakes near Norfolk County
Rockingham County, NH 81 km (51 mi) NW earthquakes near Rockingham County
Middlesex County, MA 82 km (51 mi) W earthquakes near Middlesex County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 54 km E of Rockport, Massachusetts
  2. 1.9 42 km ENE of Rockport, Massachusetts
  3. 2.0 15 km N of Rockport, 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.