QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Boardman, OR

USGS: 21 km WNW of Boardman, Oregon

1:52 pm PST, Nov 9, 2017 · · -0.5 km deep · released about 33 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Benton County 45 kmMorrow County 63 kmKlickitat County 66 kmGilliam County 68 kmSherman County 84 kmYakima County 84 kmUmatilla County 101 kmFranklin County 103 kmWalla Walla County 117 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
1:52 pm PST on 9 November 2017 ()
Where
21 km (13 mi) WNW of Boardman, OR · earthquakes near Boardman
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
-0.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Benton County, 45 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3249 days ago

A magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 21 km (13 mi) WNW of Boardman, OR, at 1:52 pm PST on 9 November 2017 (21:52 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 33 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 450,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 320,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 29× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 33 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 45.9467, -119.9313. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Benton County, WA 45 km (28 mi) NE earthquakes near Benton County
Morrow County, OR 63 km (39 mi) SSE earthquakes near Morrow County
Klickitat County, WA 66 km (41 mi) W earthquakes near Klickitat County
Gilliam County, OR 68 km (42 mi) SSW earthquakes near Gilliam County
Sherman County, OR 84 km (52 mi) SW earthquakes near Sherman County
Yakima County, WA 84 km (52 mi) NW earthquakes near Yakima 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 1 km SE of Benton City, Washington
  2. 1.8 21 km WNW of Boardman, Oregon
  3. 1.7 9 km NE of Sunnyside, Washington
  4. 1.5 13 km WNW of Roosevelt, Washington
  5. 2.4 14 km NNE of Roosevelt, Washington
  6. 2.4 Washington
  7. 1.5 18 km SSE of Arlington, Oregon
  8. 1.9 3 km WSW of Benton City, Washington
  9. 1.6 4 km WSW of Benton City, Washington
  10. 1.6 19 km S of Benton City, Washington
  11. 1.9 10 km ENE of Prosser, Washington
  12. 2.2 2 km SSE of Benton City, Washington
  13. 1.8 16 km WSW of Arlington, Oregon
  14. 2.1 0 km SSE of Benton City, Washington
  15. 1.7 8 km S of Prosser, Washington

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.