QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8ml

Earthquake near Beaver, UT

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Beaver in the last 24 hours. M 2.0, 10 km (6 mi) ESE of Beaver, at 6:22 pm MST on 11 November 2026 (01:22 UTC); the estimated shaking in Beaver was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Beaver

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 28 km (18 mi) east-southeast of Beaver, UT, at 5:14 pm MDT on 30 September 2020 (23:14 UTC), 4.8 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km NW of Circleville, Utah

5:14 pm MDT, Sep 30, 2020 · · 4.8 km deep · released about 480 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Piute County 21 kmSevier County 73 kmBeaver County 81 kmGarfield County 88 kmIron County 93 kmMillard County 108 kmKane County 114 kmWayne County 116 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
5:14 pm MDT on 30 September 2020 ()
Where
28 km (18 mi) east-southeast of Beaver, UT · earthquakes near Beaver
Magnitude
M 2.8 (ml)
Depth
4.8 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Piute County, 21 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Beaver Basin faults, 22 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2161 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 27 km (17 mi) from the epicentre. In Beaver, 28 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 480 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 32,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 22,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 480 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. 6.6 Near Marysvale, Utah · 32 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 10 km NE of Marysvale, Utah · 36 km NNE 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 38.2218, -112.3230. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Piute County, UT 21 km (13 mi) NE earthquakes near Piute County
Sevier County, UT 73 km (46 mi) NE earthquakes near Sevier County
Beaver County, UT 81 km (51 mi) W earthquakes near Beaver County
Garfield County, UT 88 km (55 mi) ESE earthquakes near Garfield County
Iron County, UT 93 km (58 mi) WSW earthquakes near Iron County
Millard County, UT 108 km (67 mi) NW earthquakes near Millard County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 13 km SSW of Beaver, Utah
  2. 1.6 8 km WNW of Marysvale, Utah
  3. 1.9 12 km N of Antimony, Utah
  4. 2.2 2 km NE of Beaver, Utah
  5. 1.7 7 km NW of Circleville, Utah
  6. 1.8 7 km SW of Marysvale, Utah
  7. 2.3 15 km W of Panguitch, Utah
  8. 2.1 19 km SSE of Minersville, Utah
  9. 1.5 20 km ENE of Milford, Utah
  10. 2.5 20 km N of Paragonah, Utah
  11. 1.7 17 km NE of Paragonah, Utah
  12. 1.6 9 km WSW of Beaver, Utah
  13. 1.6 9 km NNE of Beaver, Utah
  14. 2.1 7 km SW of Circleville, Utah
  15. 2.2 6 km SW 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.