explosion · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.5ml
Earthquake near Sutherlin, OR
USGS: 3 km SE of Fair Oaks, Oregon
74 km (46 mi) S of Eugene, OR
- When
- 11:31 am PST on 29 December 2016 ()
- Where
- 10 km (6 mi) E of Sutherlin, OR · earthquakes near Sutherlin
- Magnitude
- M 1.5 (ml)
- Depth
- -0.5 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Douglas County, 12 km SSE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3560 days ago
A magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) E of Sutherlin, OR, at 11:31 am PST on 29 December 2016 (19:31 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Glide, Roseburg North, Roseburg, Yoncalla, Green.
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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
- 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 43.3892, -123.1833. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, OR | 12 km (7 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Douglas County |
| Lane County, OR | 64 km (40 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Lane County |
| Coos County, OR | 77 km (48 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Coos County |
| Josephine County, OR | 116 km (72 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Josephine County |
| Jackson County, OR | 116 km (72 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Jackson County |
| Curry County, OR | 132 km (82 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Curry County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
56 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.8 Oregon
- 1.9 Oregon
- 1.6 0 km NW of Roseburg North, Oregon
- 1.5 8 km SSW of Cottage Grove, Oregon
- 1.5 4 km NNE of Roseburg North, Oregon
- 1.6 9 km W of Melrose, Oregon
- 1.6 30 km ENE of Glide, Oregon
- 1.5 14 km ENE of Fair Oaks, Oregon
- 1.6 2 km SW of Drain, Oregon
- 1.5 2 km ESE of Green, Oregon
- 1.6 6 km NNE of Myrtle Creek, Oregon
- 1.5 2 km WNW of Roseburg North, Oregon
- 1.7 2 km SW of Drain, Oregon
- 1.6 21 km NE of Glide, Oregon
- 1.5 4 km NNE of Roseburg North, 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
- 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.