QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Richfield, UT

No earthquake was likely felt in Richfield in the 24 hours to 4:07 am MST (11:07 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 34 km (21 mi) W, at 8:35 am MDT on 22 April 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 6 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Richfield

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 46 km (28 mi) west of Richfield, UT, at 11:59 am MST on 18 February 2020 (18:59 UTC), 1.9 km deep.

USGS: 15 km WSW of Kanosh, Utah

11:59 am MST, Feb 18, 2020 · · 1.9 km deep · released about 19 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Millard County 50 kmPiute County 64 kmSevier County 69 kmBeaver County 71 kmJuab County 106 kmSanpete County 112 kmIron 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
11:59 am MST on 18 February 2020 ()
Where
46 km (28 mi) west of Richfield, UT · earthquakes near Richfield
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
1.9 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Millard County, 50 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2460 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 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Richfield, 46 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 19 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 790,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 560,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 50× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 19 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 4.1 on 2019-04-14 — about 1,900 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.6 Near Marysvale, Utah · 35 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 0 km SSW of Central Valley, Utah · 45 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 10 km NE of Marysvale, Utah · 50 km SE 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 38.7703, -112.6108. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Millard County, UT 50 km (31 mi) WNW earthquakes near Millard County
Piute County, UT 64 km (40 mi) SE earthquakes near Piute County
Sevier County, UT 69 km (43 mi) E earthquakes near Sevier County
Beaver County, UT 71 km (44 mi) SW earthquakes near Beaver County
Juab County, UT 106 km (66 mi) N earthquakes near Juab County
Sanpete County, UT 112 km (69 mi) NE earthquakes near Sanpete County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 13 km SW of Kanosh, Utah
  2. 1.9 13 km SW of Kanosh, Utah
  3. 1.8 7 km SW of Marysvale, Utah
  4. 1.5 20 km ENE of Milford, Utah
  5. 1.6 9 km NNE of Beaver, Utah
  6. 2.3 23.9 km NNE of Kanosh, UT
  7. 1.8 23 km SSW of Kanosh, Utah
  8. 1.5 26 km SSW of Kanosh, Utah
  9. 1.7 9 km NNW of Joseph, Utah
  10. 2.4 26 km SSW of Kanosh, Utah
  11. 1.6 19 km ENE of Milford, Utah
  12. 1.8 19 km SW of Kanosh, Utah
  13. 1.5 18 km SW of Kanosh, Utah
  14. 2.4 4 km SW of Marysvale, Utah
  15. 1.7 6 km SE of Joseph, 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.