QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3ml

Earthquake near Magna, UT

No earthquake was likely felt in Magna in the 24 hours to 10:07 am MST (17:07 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 6 km (3 mi) ENE, at 8:46 am MDT on 17 June 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 28 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Magna

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) east of Magna, UT, at 11:18 pm MDT on 9 October 2020 (05:18 UTC), 9.4 km deep. 423 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km E of Magna, Utah

in West Valley City, UT

11:18 pm MDT, Oct 9, 2020 · · 9.4 km deep · released about 77 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Salt Lake County 12 kmDavis County 38 kmMorgan County 58 kmWeber County 64 kmUtah County 73 kmWasatch County 86 kmSummit County 93 kmTooele County 94 kmCache County 117 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
11:18 pm MDT on 9 October 2020 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) east of Magna, UT · earthquakes near Magna
Magnitude
M 2.3 (ml)
Depth
9.4 km below the surface
Felt
423 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Salt Lake County, 12 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
West Valley fault, 5 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 2155 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 17 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Magna, 4 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.

Likely felt in: Magna 4 km, intensity II · West Valley City 5 km, intensity II · Kearns 8 km, intensity II · Taylorsville 11 km, intensity II · Salt Lake City 15 km, intensity II · Murray 15 km, intensity II · West Jordan 15 km, intensity II · Millcreek 15 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 77 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 140,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 12× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 77 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 5.7 on 2020-03-18 — about 140,000 times the energy of this one.

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

  1. 5.3 Near Salt Lake City, Utah · 21 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 1 km NE of Magna, Utah · 3 km WNW 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 40.7120, -112.0540. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Salt Lake County, UT 12 km (7 mi) ESE earthquakes near Salt Lake County
Davis County, UT 38 km (24 mi) NNW earthquakes near Davis County
Morgan County, UT 58 km (36 mi) NE earthquakes near Morgan County
Weber County, UT 64 km (40 mi) NNE earthquakes near Weber County
Utah County, UT 73 km (46 mi) SSE earthquakes near Utah County
Wasatch County, UT 86 km (54 mi) ESE earthquakes near Wasatch 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. 1.5 4 km NW of Silver Summit, Utah
  2. 1.7 11 km ESE of Bountiful, Utah
  3. 1.7 3 km ENE of Magna, Utah
  4. 2.5 3 km ENE of Magna, Utah
  5. 1.6 2 km S of North Salt Lake, Utah
  6. 2.3 Utah
  7. 1.5 5 km SW of American Fork, Utah
  8. 1.7 Utah
  9. 2.9 13 km SSE of Morgan, Utah
  10. 2.5 14 km N of Summit Park, Utah
  11. 1.5 8 km SSW of Bingham Canyon, Utah
  12. 1.6 4 km SW of Bingham Canyon, Utah
  13. 2.1 3 km ENE of Magna, Utah
  14. 2.1 5 km NE of Magna, Utah
  15. 1.7 5 km WSW of Bingham Canyon, 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.