QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3mb_lg

Earthquake near Dedham, ME

No earthquake was likely felt in Dedham in the 24 hours to 5:04 pm EST (22:04 UTC). The last one was M 3.8, 237 km (147 mi) SW, at 10:22 am EST on 27 January 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 42,440 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Dedham

This page: a magnitude 3.3 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) east-southeast of Dedham, ME, at 1:27 am EST on 14 January 2023 (06:27 UTC), 9.6 km deep. 150 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km ESE of Dedham, Maine

1:27 am EST, Jan 14, 2023 · · 9.6 km deep · released about 1.3 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hancock County 20 kmWaldo County 48 kmKnox County 78 kmPenobscot County 83 kmWashington County 84 kmKennebec County 98 kmLincoln 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
1:27 am EST on 14 January 2023 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) east-southeast of Dedham, ME · earthquakes near Dedham
Magnitude
M 3.3 (mb_lg)
Depth
9.6 km below the surface
Felt
150 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Hancock County, 20 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1317 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 233 km (145 mi) from the epicentre. In Dedham, 7 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Holden, Orland, Ellsworth, Surry, Bucksport, Eddington.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.3 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 5,600× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.3 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.8× more

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 44.6651, -68.5787. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hancock County, ME 20 km (12 mi) SE earthquakes near Hancock County
Waldo County, ME 48 km (30 mi) WSW earthquakes near Waldo County
Knox County, ME 78 km (49 mi) SSW earthquakes near Knox County
Penobscot County, ME 83 km (52 mi) N earthquakes near Penobscot County
Washington County, ME 84 km (52 mi) ENE earthquakes near Washington County
Kennebec County, ME 98 km (61 mi) WSW earthquakes near Kennebec County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 15 km S of Lowell, Maine
  2. 1.8 2 km NNW of Ellsworth, Maine
  3. 1.8 6 km ESE of Brooklin, Maine
  4. 2.1 3 km NE of Morrill, Maine
  5. 1.8 4 km SW of Blue Hill, Maine
  6. 1.7 1 km NE of Aurora, Maine
  7. 1.7 2 km SSE of Monroe, Maine
  8. 1.8 1 km NE of Swanville, Maine
  9. 1.5 2 km ESE of Eastbrook, Maine
  10. 1.9 6 km SE of North Penobscot, Maine
  11. 1.6 6 km ESE of Dedham, Maine
  12. 2.0 7 km E of Dedham, Maine
  13. 2.0 7 km ESE of Dedham, Maine

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.