QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

Earthquake near Castle Dale, UT

No earthquake was likely felt in Castle Dale in the 24 hours to 11:49 pm MST (06:49 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 49 km (30 mi) WSW, at 3:00 pm MDT on 8 July 2024, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Castle Dale

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 18 km (11 mi) east-southeast of Castle Dale, UT, at 10:22 pm MST on 16 December 2020 (05:22 UTC), 18 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 17 km ESE of Castle Dale, Utah

10:22 pm MST, Dec 16, 2020 · · 18 km deep · released about 130 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Emery County 17 kmCarbon County 64 kmSanpete County 69 kmSevier County 94 kmWayne County 98 kmGrand County 111 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
10:22 pm MST on 16 December 2020 ()
Where
18 km (11 mi) east-southeast of Castle Dale, UT · earthquakes near Castle Dale
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Emery County, 17 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2083 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Castle Dale, 18 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: Orangeville, Huntington, Ferron.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 130 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 5.8 110,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 80,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 130 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.2 13 km ESE of Castle Dale, Utah · 4 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 39.1292, -110.8427. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Emery County, UT 17 km (11 mi) SE earthquakes near Emery County
Carbon County, UT 64 km (40 mi) NNE earthquakes near Carbon County
Sanpete County, UT 69 km (43 mi) WNW earthquakes near Sanpete County
Sevier County, UT 94 km (58 mi) WSW earthquakes near Sevier County
Wayne County, UT 98 km (61 mi) S earthquakes near Wayne County
Grand County, UT 111 km (69 mi) E earthquakes near Grand County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 24 km WNW of Green River, Utah
  2. 1.7 18 km ESE of Spring City, Utah
  3. 1.6 Utah
  4. 1.7 6 km W of Hiawatha, Utah
  5. 1.6 10 km SW of Hiawatha, Utah
  6. 1.8 18 km WSW of Hiawatha, 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.