QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Salina, UT

No earthquake was likely felt in Salina in the 24 hours to 4:26 pm MST (23:26 UTC). The last one was M 1.8, 8 km (5 mi) SSE, at 11:26 am MDT on 23 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Salina

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 42 km (26 mi) east-southeast of Salina, UT, at 9:04 am MST on 28 December 2019 (16:04 UTC), 1.0 km deep.

USGS: 17 km SW of Emery, Utah

9:04 am MST, Dec 28, 2019 · · 1.0 km deep · released about 26 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sevier County 36 kmEmery County 63 kmSanpete County 63 kmWayne County 72 kmPiute County 83 kmGarfield County 110 kmCarbon County 118 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
9:04 am MST on 28 December 2019 ()
Where
42 km (26 mi) east-southeast of Salina, UT · earthquakes near Salina
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
1.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Sevier County, 36 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2509 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 15 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Salina, 42 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 26 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 580,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 410,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 36× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 26 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 lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.2 25 km SE of Salina, Utah · 19 km W 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 38.8217, -111.4037. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sevier County, UT 36 km (23 mi) WSW earthquakes near Sevier County
Emery County, UT 63 km (39 mi) ENE earthquakes near Emery County
Sanpete County, UT 63 km (39 mi) NNW earthquakes near Sanpete County
Wayne County, UT 72 km (45 mi) SSE earthquakes near Wayne County
Piute County, UT 83 km (52 mi) SW earthquakes near Piute County
Garfield County, UT 110 km (68 mi) S earthquakes near Garfield County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 7 km N of Redmond, Utah
  2. 1.6 14 km SW of Emery, Utah
  3. 1.9 12 km WNW of Emery, Utah
  4. 1.8 19 km WNW of Emery, Utah
  5. 1.5 5 km ENE of Mayfield, Utah
  6. 2.6 12 km N of Koosharem, Utah
  7. 2.0 30 km NE of Fremont, Utah
  8. 2.0 26 km SW of Emery, Utah
  9. 1.7 27 km SSW of Emery, Utah
  10. 2.2 27 km SW of Emery, Utah
  11. 2.0 12 km WNW of Emery, Utah
  12. 2.4 16 km NNE of Koosharem, Utah
  13. 1.5 25 km ESE of Salina, Utah
  14. 1.7 5 km SSE of Sterling, Utah
  15. 1.9 20 km SE of Mayfield, 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.