QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Sutherlin, OR

USGS: 12 km NW of Oakland, Oregon

68 km (42 mi) SSW of Eugene, OR

11:21 am PDT, Apr 29, 2020 · · -0.3 km deep · released about 7.3 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Douglas County 31 kmCoos County 64 kmLane County 65 kmBenton County 112 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
11:21 am PDT on 29 April 2020 ()
Where
14 km (9 mi) NW of Sutherlin, OR · earthquakes near Sutherlin
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
-0.3 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Douglas County, 31 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2347 days ago

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 14 km (9 mi) NW of Sutherlin, OR, at 11:21 am PDT on 29 April 2020 (18:21 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, Drain, Roseburg North.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.3 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 2,100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,500,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.3 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 43.4865, -123.4198. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Douglas County, OR 31 km (19 mi) SE earthquakes near Douglas County
Coos County, OR 64 km (40 mi) WSW earthquakes near Coos County
Lane County, OR 65 km (40 mi) NE earthquakes near Lane County
Benton County, OR 112 km (70 mi) N earthquakes near Benton County
Curry County, OR 130 km (81 mi) SSW earthquakes near Curry County
Linn County, OR 132 km (82 mi) NNE earthquakes near Linn County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 7 km SSW of Cottage Grove, Oregon
  2. 1.6 2 km SW of Drain, Oregon
  3. 1.7 4 km NW of Roseburg North, Oregon
  4. 1.5 0 km ESE of Dillard, Oregon
  5. 1.5 4 km ESE of Fair Oaks, Oregon
  6. 1.6 10 km SE of Glide, Oregon
  7. 1.5 13 km WNW of Cottage Grove, Oregon
  8. 1.6 5 km NNW of Roseburg North, Oregon
  9. 1.6 7 km WSW of Lookingglass, Oregon
  10. 1.9 2 km SW of Drain, Oregon
  11. 1.6 5 km NW of Roseburg North, Oregon
  12. 1.6 Oregon
  13. 1.7 5 km E of Yoncalla, Oregon
  14. 1.6 0 km SW of Roseburg North, Oregon
  15. 1.7 21 km ESE of Reedsport, 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.