Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.9ml
Earthquake near Exeter, RI
No earthquake was likely felt in Exeter in the 24 hours to 1:07 pm EST (18:07 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 19 km (12 mi) SE, at 11:36 pm EDT on 4 September 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 21 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Exeter
This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) west-southwest of Exeter, RI, at 7:41 pm EST on 1 January 2020 (00:41 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 10 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 6 km WSW of Exeter, Rhode Island
23 km (14 mi) SW of Warwick, RI · 100 km (62 mi) SSW of Boston, MA
- When
- 7:41 pm EST on 1 January 2020 ()
- Where
- 6 km (4 mi) west-southwest of Exeter, RI · earthquakes near Exeter
- Magnitude
- M 1.9 (ml)
- Depth
- 5.0 km below the surface
- Felt
- 10 reports · strongest reported intensity III
- Nearest
- Kent County, 14 km N
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2427 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Exeter, RI
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Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Exeter, 6 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: Kingston, Hope Valley, West Greenwich, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Wakefield-Peacedale.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 21 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 710,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 500,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 45× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 1.9 about 21 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 41.5480, -71.6038. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent County, RI | 14 km (9 mi) | N | earthquakes near Kent County |
| Washington County, RI | 17 km (10 mi) | S | earthquakes near Washington County |
| Newport County, RI | 27 km (17 mi) | E | earthquakes near Newport County |
| Bristol County, RI | 32 km (20 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Bristol County |
| Providence County, RI | 36 km (22 mi) | N | earthquakes near Providence County |
| Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 42 km (26 mi) | W | earthquakes near Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
9 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.8 2 km W of Conning Towers-Nautilus Park, Connecticut
- 1.9 4 km ESE of Narragansett, Rhode Island
- 1.8 2 km ESE of Ledyard, Connecticut
- 1.6 0 km SSW of Old Mystic, Connecticut
- 2.0 1 km S of Old Mystic, Connecticut
- 1.6 4 km S of Bristol, Rhode Island
- 2.0 18 km NE of New Shoreham, Rhode Island
- 2.2 18 km SSE of Narragansett Pier, Rhode Island
- 2.1 18 km NE of New Shoreham, Rhode Island
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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.