Earthquake near Fruita, CO

USGS: 38 km ENE of Thompson Springs, Utah

4:54 pm MDT, Sep 30, 2021 · 2021-09-30 22:54 UTC · 6.0 km deep · released about 13 lb of TNT

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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: 4:54 pm MDT on 30 September 2021 (2021-09-30 22:54 UTC)
Where: 49 km (31 mi) W of Fruita, CO · earthquakes near Fruita
Magnitude: M 1.8 (ml)
Depth: 6.0 km below the surface
Felt: no reports yet
Nearest: Grand County, 27 km WSW
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS 1827 days ago · we first saw it 1827 days ago

A magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 49 km (31 mi) W of Fruita, CO, at 4:54 pm MDT on 30 September 2021 (22:54 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 13 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,100,000× the energy of this one
Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 810,000× the energy of this one
Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 72× the energy of this one
This earthquake M 1.8 about 13 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

Map loads when it scrolls into view

Epicentre 39.0843, -109.2920. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

Place	Distance	Direction from the epicentre
Grand County, UT	27 km (17 mi)	WSW	earthquakes near Grand County
Mesa County, CO	72 km (45 mi)	E	earthquakes near Mesa County
Montrose County, CO	117 km (72 mi)	SE	earthquakes near Montrose County
Uintah County, UT	117 km (73 mi)	N	earthquakes near Uintah County
Carbon County, UT	129 km (80 mi)	WNW	earthquakes near Carbon County
Garfield County, CO	132 km (82 mi)	ENE	earthquakes near Garfield County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

1.7 37 km NE of Thompson Springs, Utah 00:39 UTC
2.3 35 km SW of Loma, Colorado 07:25 UTC
1.8 35 km WSW of Loma, Colorado 05:56 UTC
1.9 42 km NNE of Thompson Springs, Utah 06:50 UTC
1.7 Utah 17:07 UTC
2.1 28 km NNE of Castle Valley, Utah 08:31 UTC
1.9 28 km NNE of Castle Valley, Utah 10:31 UTC
1.7 27 km NNE of Castle Valley, Utah 05:45 UTC
1.6 34 km E of Thompson Springs, Utah 15:02 UTC
1.8 27 km NNE of Castle Valley, Utah 12:17 UTC
1.6 28 km NNE of Castle Valley, Utah 07:39 UTC
1.8 27 km NNE of Castle Valley, Utah 16:49 UTC
1.9 27 km NNE of Castle Valley, Utah 16:31 UTC
1.7 29 km NNE of Castle Valley, Utah 14:49 UTC
1.6 27 km NNE of Castle Valley, Utah 05:09 UTC

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of 02:10 UTC. QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.