QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

Earthquake near Provo, UT

No earthquake was likely felt in Provo in the 24 hours to 5:23 am MST (12:23 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 63 km (39 mi) NNW, at 6:32 pm MST on 13 February 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 4,122 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Provo

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 26 km (16 mi) east-northeast of Provo, UT, at 3:15 am MST on 12 December 2020 (10:15 UTC), 11 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 9 km W of Independence, Utah

24 km (15 mi) ENE of Provo, UT

3:15 am MST, Dec 12, 2020 · · 11 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Provo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Wasatch County 18 kmUtah County 33 kmSalt Lake County 62 kmSummit County 71 kmDuchesne County 80 kmMorgan County 89 kmCarbon County 97 kmSanpete County 105 kmDavis County 107 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
3:15 am MST on 12 December 2020 ()
Where
26 km (16 mi) east-northeast of Provo, UT · earthquakes near Provo
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Wasatch County, 18 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Strawberry fault, 14 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 1558 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 18 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Provo, 26 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Daniel, Heber City, Midway, Springville, Mapleton, Orem.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 120,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 86,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.7× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 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 since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 40.3077, -111.3717. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Wasatch County, UT 18 km (11 mi) E earthquakes near Wasatch County
Utah County, UT 33 km (20 mi) SW earthquakes near Utah County
Salt Lake County, UT 62 km (38 mi) NW earthquakes near Salt Lake County
Summit County, UT 71 km (44 mi) NNE earthquakes near Summit County
Duchesne County, UT 80 km (50 mi) E earthquakes near Duchesne County
Morgan County, UT 89 km (55 mi) N earthquakes near Morgan County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 20 km E of Independence, Utah
  2. 1.8 5 km E of Heber City, Utah
  3. 2.5 8 km SSE of Woodland Hills, Utah
  4. 1.9 6 km WNW of Lehi, Utah
  5. 2.2 5 km WNW of Lehi, Utah
  6. 1.9 26 km S of Independence, Utah
  7. 1.7 6 km WNW of Lehi, Utah
  8. 1.7 6 km WNW of Lehi, Utah
  9. 1.9 24 km SSE of Independence, Utah
  10. 2.4 24 km SSE of Independence, Utah
  11. 1.8 25 km SSE of Independence, Utah
  12. 2.2 25 km SSE of Independence, Utah
  13. 1.5 24 km SSE of Independence, Utah
  14. 2.0 25 km SSE of Independence, Utah
  15. 1.8 6 km ESE of Daniel, 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.