Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.6ml
Earthquake near Niantic, CT
No earthquake was likely felt in Niantic in the 24 hours to 12:15 am EST (05:15 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 28 km (17 mi) NW, at 8:21 am EDT on 15 March 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 99 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Niantic
This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) southwest of Niantic, CT, at 1:53 pm EST on 4 November 2026 (18:53 UTC), 8.4 km deep.
USGS: 6 km SW of Niantic, Connecticut
57 km (35 mi) E of New Haven, CT · 54 km (33 mi) ESE of Meriden, CT
- When
- 1:53 pm EST on 4 November 2026 ()
- Where
- 6 km (4 mi) southwest of Niantic, CT · earthquakes near Niantic
- Magnitude
- M 1.6 (ml)
- Depth
- 8.4 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, 25 km NNE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 7 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Niantic, CT
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Niantic, CT. 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 it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Niantic, 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: Old Saybrook Center, Old Saybrook, Waterford, Central Waterford, Saybrook Manor, New London.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 7.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.6 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 41.2823, -72.2449. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 25 km (16 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region |
| Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 26 km (16 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region |
| South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 49 km (31 mi) | W | earthquakes near South Central Connecticut Planning Region |
| Suffolk County, NY | 53 km (33 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Suffolk County |
| Washington County, RI | 54 km (33 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Washington County |
| Capitol Planning Region, CT | 66 km (41 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Capitol Planning Region |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
No further earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
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.