QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Monticello, UT

No earthquake was likely felt in Monticello in the 24 hours to 1:12 pm MST (20:12 UTC). The last one was M 5.4, 823 km (512 mi) SE, at 7:47 pm MDT on 3 May 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,696 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Monticello

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 45 km (28 mi) east of Monticello, UT, at 9:27 pm MDT on 18 June 2019 (03:27 UTC), 18 km deep.

USGS: 10 km NE of Dove Creek, Colorado

9:27 pm MDT, Jun 18, 2019 · · 18 km deep · released about 8.7 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Dolores County 31 kmSan Miguel County 40 kmMontezuma County 60 kmMontrose County 80 kmSan Juan County 88 kmOuray County 98 kmSan Juan County 103 kmLa Plata County 107 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
9:27 pm MDT on 18 June 2019 ()
Where
45 km (28 mi) east of Monticello, UT · earthquakes near Monticello
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Dolores County, 31 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2618 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 Monticello, 45 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.7 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.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,700,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,200,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 110× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.7 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.5 on 2019-03-04 — about 19,000 times the energy of this one.

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 37.8405, -108.8347. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Dolores County, CO 31 km (19 mi) ESE earthquakes near Dolores County
San Miguel County, CO 40 km (25 mi) ENE earthquakes near San Miguel County
Montezuma County, CO 60 km (37 mi) SSE earthquakes near Montezuma County
Montrose County, CO 80 km (50 mi) NE earthquakes near Montrose County
San Juan County, UT 88 km (55 mi) WSW earthquakes near San Juan County
Ouray County, CO 98 km (61 mi) ENE earthquakes near Ouray County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 26 km ESE of La Sal, Utah
  2. 2.2 2 km NW of Dove Creek, Colorado
  3. 2.0 29 km E of La Sal, Utah
  4. 1.6 28 km ESE of La Sal, Utah
  5. 2.1 28 km E of La Sal, Utah
  6. 2.2 28 km E of La Sal, Utah
  7. 2.0 28 km E of La Sal, Utah
  8. 2.1 28 km E of La Sal, Utah
  9. 1.6 30 km E of La Sal, Utah
  10. 1.5 29 km E of La Sal, Utah
  11. 2.1 20 km WSW of Naturita, Colorado
  12. 1.7 28 km E of La Sal, Utah
  13. 2.3 29 km E of La Sal, UT
  14. 1.9 28 km E of La Sal, Utah
  15. 1.7 28 km E of La Sal, 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.