QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Richfield, UT

No earthquake was likely felt in Richfield in the 24 hours to 1:51 pm MST (20:51 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 2.1 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) south of Richfield, UT, at 8:19 am MST on 2 March 2020 (15:19 UTC), 5.4 km deep.

USGS: 14 km NE of Junction, Utah

8:19 am MST, Mar 2, 2020 · · 5.4 km deep · released about 43 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Piute County 1 kmSevier County 52 kmGarfield County 82 kmBeaver County 98 kmWayne County 99 kmMillard County 111 kmIron County 114 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
8:19 am MST on 2 March 2020 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) south of Richfield, UT · earthquakes near Richfield
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
5.4 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Piute County, 1 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2446 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 16 km (10 mi) from the epicentre. In Richfield, 48 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 43 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 43 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 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.6 Near Marysvale, Utah · 30 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 0 km SSW of Central Valley, Utah · 40 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 10 km NE of Marysvale, Utah · 19 km N 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 38.3427, -112.1202. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Piute County, UT 1 km (1 mi) SW earthquakes near Piute County
Sevier County, UT 52 km (33 mi) NNE earthquakes near Sevier County
Garfield County, UT 82 km (51 mi) SE earthquakes near Garfield County
Beaver County, UT 98 km (61 mi) W earthquakes near Beaver County
Wayne County, UT 99 km (61 mi) E earthquakes near Wayne County
Millard County, UT 111 km (69 mi) NW earthquakes near Millard County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 2 km NE of Beaver, Utah
  2. 1.7 7 km NW of Circleville, Utah
  3. 1.8 7 km SW of Marysvale, Utah
  4. 1.6 9 km NNE of Beaver, Utah
  5. 2.1 7 km SW of Circleville, Utah
  6. 2.2 6 km SW of Circleville, Utah
  7. 1.6 8 km SE of Marysvale, Utah
  8. 1.6 12 km WSW of Circleville, Utah
  9. 2.2 7 km SW of Circleville, Utah
  10. 1.9 Utah
  11. 1.7 6 km SW of Circleville, Utah
  12. 2.7 9 km NW of Circleville, Utah
  13. 1.5 7 km WSW of Circleville, Utah
  14. 1.6 4 km SE of Circleville, Utah
  15. 1.6 6 km SSE of Circleville, 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.