QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Dexter, ME

No earthquake was likely felt in Dexter in the 24 hours to 5:43 am EST (10:43 UTC). The last one was M 2.0, 22 km (14 mi) NNE, at 10:31 am EST on 19 November 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Dexter

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) west-southwest of Dexter, ME, at 8:08 pm EDT on 14 September 2025 (00:08 UTC), 9.4 km deep.

USGS: 7 km ESE of Cambridge, Maine

8:08 pm EDT, Sep 14, 2025 · · 9.4 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Waldo County 63 kmSomerset County 71 kmPenobscot County 72 kmKennebec County 72 kmFranklin County 81 kmHancock County 94 kmPiscataquis County 103 kmKnox County 111 kmLincoln County 113 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
8:08 pm EDT on 14 September 2025 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) west-southwest of Dexter, ME · earthquakes near Dexter
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
9.4 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Waldo County, 63 km SSE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 345 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 Dexter, 8 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: Saint Albans, Corinna, Sangerville, Garland, Palmyra, Newport.

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 45.0093, -69.3855. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Waldo County, ME 63 km (39 mi) SSE earthquakes near Waldo County
Somerset County, ME 71 km (44 mi) NW earthquakes near Somerset County
Penobscot County, ME 72 km (45 mi) NE earthquakes near Penobscot County
Kennebec County, ME 72 km (45 mi) SSW earthquakes near Kennebec County
Franklin County, ME 81 km (50 mi) W earthquakes near Franklin County
Hancock County, ME 94 km (58 mi) ESE earthquakes near Hancock County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 0 km NW of Guilford, Maine
  2. 1.6 7 km S of Sebec, Maine
  3. 1.5 2 km WSW of Jackson, Maine
  4. 1.6 3 km SE of Madison, Maine
  5. 2.0 5 km ENE of Dover-Foxcroft, Maine
  6. 2.0 7 km ESE of Dover-Foxcroft, 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.