QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.8ml

Earthquake near Chino Valley, AZ

No earthquake was likely felt in Chino Valley in the 24 hours to 8:53 pm MST (03:53 UTC). The last one was M 5.4, 820 km (510 mi) ESE, at 6:47 pm MST on 3 May 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,696 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Chino Valley

This page: a magnitude 3.8 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) east of Chino Valley, AZ, at 1:52 pm MST on 23 July 2023 (20:52 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 975 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2 km E of Chino Valley, Arizona

21 km (13 mi) NNW of Prescott Valley, AZ · 136 km (84 mi) NNW of Phoenix, AZ

1:52 pm MST, Jul 23, 2023 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 7.6 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Chino Valley Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Yavapai County 19 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
1:52 pm MST on 23 July 2023 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) east of Chino Valley, AZ · earthquakes near Chino Valley
Magnitude
M 3.8 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
975 reports · strongest reported intensity VI
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Yavapai County, 19 km SW
Nearest mapped fault
Big Chino fault, 25 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1075 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 83 km (52 mi) from the epicentre. In Chino Valley, 2 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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: Williamson, Paulden, Prescott Valley, Prescott.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.8 about 7.6 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 16× 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 34.7585, -112.4319. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Yavapai County, AZ 19 km (12 mi) SW earthquakes near Yavapai County
Coconino County, AZ 133 km (83 mi) NNE earthquakes near Coconino County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 5 km W of Chino Valley, Arizona
  2. 2.5 14 km N of Clarkdale, Arizona

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.