QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Redmond, OR

No earthquake was likely felt in Redmond in the 24 hours to 1:20 am PST (09:20 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 16 km (10 mi) NE, at 4:02 pm PST on 19 February 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Redmond

No: USGS classifies this as a explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.6 explosion was recorded 10 km (6 mi) east-northeast of Redmond, OR, at 4:44 pm PDT on 26 March 2019 (23:44 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 9 km ENE of Redmond, Oregon

34 km (21 mi) NE of Bend, OR

4:44 pm PDT, Mar 26, 2019 · · -1.6 km deep · released about 6.8 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Jefferson County 40 kmDeschutes County 45 kmCrook County 57 kmWheeler County 95 kmWasco County 97 kmLinn 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
4:44 pm PDT on 26 March 2019 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) east-northeast of Redmond, OR · earthquakes near Redmond
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
-1.6 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Jefferson County, 40 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2788 days ago

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 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Redmond, 10 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Terrebonne, Prineville, Culver.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.8 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.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 140× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 6.8 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 44.2988, -121.0550. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Jefferson County, OR 40 km (25 mi) NNW earthquakes near Jefferson County
Deschutes County, OR 45 km (28 mi) SSW earthquakes near Deschutes County
Crook County, OR 57 km (35 mi) ESE earthquakes near Crook County
Wheeler County, OR 95 km (59 mi) ENE earthquakes near Wheeler County
Wasco County, OR 97 km (60 mi) N earthquakes near Wasco County
Linn County, OR 120 km (74 mi) W earthquakes near Linn County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 4 km NNW of Bend, Oregon
  2. 2.4 6 km SW of Prineville, Oregon
  3. 1.5 11 km E of Terrebonne, Oregon
  4. 1.6 11 km ENE of Terrebonne, Oregon
  5. 1.9 13 km ENE of Terrebonne, Oregon
  6. 2.2 5 km SW of Tumalo, Oregon
  7. 1.6 1 km SSW of Tumalo, Oregon
  8. 2.8 5 km SW of Prineville, Oregon
  9. 1.6 10 km SE of Deschutes River Woods, Oregon
  10. 1.6 12 km ENE of Terrebonne, Oregon
  11. 1.9 12 km NNW of Prineville, Oregon
  12. 1.8 13 km WNW of Prineville, Oregon
  13. 1.9 9 km SW of Prineville, Oregon
  14. 1.9 10 km E of Terrebonne, Oregon
  15. 1.7 12 km ENE of Terrebonne, 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.