explosion · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.6ml
Earthquake near Moscow, ID
No earthquake was likely felt in Moscow in the 24 hours to 9:14 pm PST (05:14 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 9 km (6 mi) WNW, at 12:55 pm PDT on 10 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Moscow
No: USGS classifies this as a explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.6 explosion was recorded 30 km (19 mi) east-southeast of Moscow, ID, at 12:57 pm PDT on 15 September 2016 (19:57 UTC), less than 1 km deep.
USGS: 5 km NNE of Kendrick, Idaho
- When
- 12:57 pm PDT on 15 September 2016 ()
- Where
- 30 km (19 mi) east-southeast of Moscow, ID · earthquakes near Moscow
- Idaho today
- every earthquake in Idaho in the last 24 hours
- Magnitude
- M 1.6 (ml)
- Depth
- -1.1 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Latah County, 20 km NNW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3710 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Moscow, ID
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Moscow, ID. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 Moscow, 30 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.
USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 8.7 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,700,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,200,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 110× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.7 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 46.6618, -116.6165. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latah County, ID | 20 km (12 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Latah County |
| Nez Perce County, ID | 38 km (24 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Nez Perce County |
| Lewis County, ID | 50 km (31 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Lewis County |
| Benewah County, ID | 62 km (38 mi) | N | earthquakes near Benewah County |
| Asotin County, WA | 71 km (44 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Asotin County |
| Clearwater County, ID | 73 km (46 mi) | E | earthquakes near Clearwater 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.
- 1.9 7 km WSW of Deary, Idaho
- 1.9 7 km ENE of Troy, Idaho
- 2.1 6 km N of Onaway, Idaho
- 2.1 5 km NNE of Pullman, Washington
- 2.1 7 km SSW of Orofino, Idaho
- 1.9 8 km SSE of Pullman, Washington
- 2.3 3 km ESE of Pullman, Washington
- 1.8 8 km W of Troy, Idaho
- 2.2 1 km WNW of Lewiston Orchards, Idaho
- 1.8 6 km SSW of Genesee, Idaho
- 2.0 3 km SSE of Lewiston Orchards, Idaho
- 1.6 6 km WSW of Troy, Idaho
- 1.6 5 km WNW of Genesee, Idaho
- 1.6 2 km N of Elk River, Idaho
- 2.3 11 km WNW of Deary, Idaho
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
- 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.