Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.3mb_lg
Earthquake near New Shoreham, RI
No earthquake was likely felt in New Shoreham in the 24 hours to 3:37 am EST (08:37 UTC). The last one was M 3.8, 226 km (140 mi) NNE, at 10:22 am EST on 27 January 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 42,440 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near New Shoreham
This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 43 km (27 mi) south-southeast of New Shoreham, RI, at 3:21 am EDT on 19 September 2021 (07:21 UTC), 10 km deep. 27 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 43 km SSE of New Shoreham, Rhode Island
- When
- 3:21 am EDT on 19 September 2021 ()
- Where
- 43 km (27 mi) south-southeast of New Shoreham, RI · earthquakes near New Shoreham
- Magnitude
- M 2.3 (mb_lg)
- Depth
- 10 km below the surface
- Felt
- 27 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- Washington County, 68 km NNW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1778 days ago
Earthquake alerts for New Shoreham, RI
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near New Shoreham, RI. No account or email needed.
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 36 km (22 mi) from the epicentre. In New Shoreham, 43 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 85 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 11× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.3 about 85 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 40.8331, -71.3025. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, RI | 68 km (42 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Washington County |
| Newport County, RI | 74 km (46 mi) | N | earthquakes near Newport County |
| Dukes County, MA | 79 km (49 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Dukes County |
| Kent County, RI | 96 km (60 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Kent County |
| Bristol County, RI | 97 km (60 mi) | N | earthquakes near Bristol County |
| Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 99 km (61 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
4 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 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
- 2.0 southern New England
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.