QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Cedar City, UT

No earthquake was likely felt in Cedar City in the 24 hours to 1:34 pm MST (20:34 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 16 km (10 mi) N, at 10:46 am MST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Cedar City

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 49 km (30 mi) east-southeast of Cedar City, UT, at 2:36 am MST on 13 January 2021 (09:36 UTC), 14 km deep.

USGS: 9 km WNW of Alton, Utah

99 km (61 mi) ENE of St. George, UT

2:36 am MST, Jan 13, 2021 · · 14 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Cedar City Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kane County 71 kmIron County 81 kmWashington County 84 kmPiute County 104 kmGarfield County 107 kmBeaver 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
2:36 am MST on 13 January 2021 ()
Where
49 km (30 mi) east-southeast of Cedar City, UT · earthquakes near Cedar City
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Kane County, 71 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Sevier/Toroweap fault, 9 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 2130 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Cedar City, 49 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 89× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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 37.4712, -112.5757. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kane County, UT 71 km (44 mi) ESE earthquakes near Kane County
Iron County, UT 81 km (50 mi) NW earthquakes near Iron County
Washington County, UT 84 km (52 mi) WSW earthquakes near Washington County
Piute County, UT 104 km (65 mi) NNE earthquakes near Piute County
Garfield County, UT 107 km (66 mi) ENE earthquakes near Garfield County
Beaver County, UT 114 km (71 mi) NNW earthquakes near Beaver County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 21 km SE of Kanarraville, Utah
  2. 1.7 21 km SE of Kanarraville, Utah
  3. 2.4 10 km WNW of Panguitch, Utah
  4. 2.0 20 km SE of Kanarraville, Utah
  5. 1.7 20 km SE of Kanarraville, Utah
  6. 1.8 20 km SE of Kanarraville, Utah
  7. 2.3 21 km ESE of Kanarraville, Utah
  8. 1.6 22 km SE of Kanarraville, Utah
  9. 1.6 21 km SE of Kanarraville, Utah
  10. 2.3 21 km ESE of Kanarraville, Utah
  11. 3.1 20 km ESE of Kanarraville, Utah
  12. 2.1 21 km ESE of Kanarraville, Utah
  13. 1.6 9 km WNW of Panguitch, Utah
  14. 1.5 12 km S of Cedar City, Utah
  15. 2.0 9 km WNW of Panguitch, 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.