QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5md

Earthquake near Richfield, UT

No earthquake was likely felt in Richfield in the 24 hours to 11:19 pm MST (06:19 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 1.5 earthquake was recorded 47 km (29 mi) east of Richfield, UT, at 7:55 pm MST on 25 February 2020 (02:55 UTC), 1.2 km deep.

USGS: 28 km WSW of Emery, Utah

7:55 pm MST, Feb 25, 2020 · · 1.2 km deep · released about 5.7 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sevier County 25 kmSanpete County 59 kmEmery County 74 kmPiute County 75 kmWayne County 81 kmGarfield County 112 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
7:55 pm MST on 25 February 2020 ()
Where
47 km (29 mi) east of Richfield, UT · earthquakes near Richfield
Magnitude
M 1.5 (md)
Depth
1.2 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Sevier County, 25 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2452 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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Richfield, 47 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Salina.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.7 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 170× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.7 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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.2 0 km SSW of Central Valley, Utah · 50 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 25 km SE of Salina, Utah · 6 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 38.8400, -111.5535. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sevier County, UT 25 km (15 mi) WSW earthquakes near Sevier County
Sanpete County, UT 59 km (37 mi) N earthquakes near Sanpete County
Emery County, UT 74 km (46 mi) ENE earthquakes near Emery County
Piute County, UT 75 km (47 mi) SW earthquakes near Piute County
Wayne County, UT 81 km (50 mi) SE earthquakes near Wayne County
Garfield County, UT 112 km (70 mi) S earthquakes near Garfield County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

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