QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Drain, OR

USGS: 2 km SW of Drain, Oregon

49 km (30 mi) SSW of Eugene, OR

12:12 pm PDT, Sep 28, 2016 · · -0.5 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Douglas County 43 kmLane County 47 kmCoos County 80 kmBenton County 94 kmLinn County 113 kmLincoln County 120 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
12:12 pm PDT on 28 September 2016 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) SW of Drain, OR · earthquakes near Drain
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
-0.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Douglas County, 43 km SSE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 558 days ago

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) SW of Drain, OR, at 12:12 pm PDT on 28 September 2016 (19:12 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Yoncalla, Cottage Grove, Sutherlin.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.4 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 43.6467, -123.3385. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Douglas County, OR 43 km (27 mi) SSE earthquakes near Douglas County
Lane County, OR 47 km (29 mi) NE earthquakes near Lane County
Coos County, OR 80 km (50 mi) SW earthquakes near Coos County
Benton County, OR 94 km (59 mi) N earthquakes near Benton County
Linn County, OR 113 km (70 mi) NE earthquakes near Linn County
Lincoln County, OR 120 km (74 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lincoln County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 8 km SW of Cottage Grove, Oregon
  2. 1.7 28 km E of Florence, Oregon
  3. 1.7 4 km SSE of Roseburg North, Oregon
  4. 2.2 12 km NE of Fair Oaks, Oregon
  5. 1.7 17 km ENE of Fair Oaks, Oregon
  6. 1.5 17 km E of Yoncalla, Oregon
  7. 1.5 13 km ENE of Cottage Grove, Oregon
  8. 1.5 4 km NNE of Roseburg North, Oregon
  9. 1.6 8 km NNE of Glide, Oregon
  10. 1.6 6 km NW of Roseburg North, Oregon
  11. 1.7 15 km WNW of Cottage Grove, Oregon
  12. 1.9 31 km ESE of Florence, Oregon
  13. 1.6 8 km SSW of Cottage Grove, Oregon
  14. 1.6 12 km NW of Oakland, Oregon
  15. 1.9 9 km SW of Cottage Grove, Oregon

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.