QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.5ml

Earthquake near Beaver, UT

No earthquake was likely felt in Beaver in the 24 hours to 11:01 am MST (18:01 UTC). The last one was M 2.0, 10 km (6 mi) ESE, at 6:22 pm MST on 11 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Beaver

This page: a magnitude 3.5 earthquake was recorded 24 km (15 mi) northeast of Beaver, UT, at 3:38 pm MST on 8 January 2018 (22:38 UTC), 12 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 21 km W of Marysvale, Utah

3:38 pm MST, Jan 8, 2018 · · 12 km deep · released about 2.7 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Piute County 33 kmSevier County 67 kmBeaver County 67 kmMillard County 80 kmIron County 94 kmGarfield 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
3:38 pm MST on 8 January 2018 ()
Where
24 km (15 mi) northeast of Beaver, UT · earthquakes near Beaver
Magnitude
M 3.5 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Measured shaking
intensity III (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Piute County, 33 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Beaver Basin faults, 8 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 2018 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 62 km (39 mi) from the epicentre. In Beaver, 24 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.

Likely felt in: Beaver 24 km, intensity II · Monroe 37 km, intensity II · Milford 47 km, intensity II · Richfield 49 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 2.7 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 63,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.5 about 2.7 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 5.6× 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 lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.6 Near Marysvale, Utah · 9 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 0 km SSW of Central Valley, Utah · 43 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 10 km NE of Marysvale, Utah · 30 km ENE of this epicentre

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 38.4522, -112.4795. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Piute County, UT 33 km (21 mi) ESE earthquakes near Piute County
Sevier County, UT 67 km (41 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sevier County
Beaver County, UT 67 km (42 mi) W earthquakes near Beaver County
Millard County, UT 80 km (50 mi) NW earthquakes near Millard County
Iron County, UT 94 km (59 mi) SW earthquakes near Iron County
Garfield County, UT 113 km (70 mi) SE earthquakes near Garfield County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 8 km S of Marysvale, Utah
  2. 1.6 10 km NNW of Marysvale, Utah
  3. 2.2 10 km SSW of Joseph, Utah
  4. 1.8 11 km NW of Circleville, Utah
  5. 1.9 15 km SSE of Beaver, Utah
  6. 2.7 15 km SSE of Beaver, Utah
  7. 1.8 26 km WSW of Kanosh, Utah
  8. 2.9 26 km W of Kanosh, Utah
  9. 1.8 27 km WSW of Kanosh, Utah
  10. 1.9 14 km S of Beaver, Utah
  11. 1.6 15 km SW of Circleville, Utah
  12. 3.1 16 km SW of Circleville, Utah
  13. 2.7 16 km SW of Circleville, Utah
  14. 2.1 16 km SSE of Beaver, Utah
  15. 2.5 16 km SSE of Beaver, Utah

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.