QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Terrebonne, OR

No earthquake was likely felt in Terrebonne in the 24 hours to 3:05 am PST (11:05 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 11 km (7 mi) ENE, at 4:02 pm PST on 19 February 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Terrebonne

No: USGS classifies this as a explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.7 explosion was recorded 3 km (2 mi) east-southeast of Terrebonne, OR, at 3:07 pm PDT on 15 May 2020 (22:07 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 3 km ESE of Terrebonne, Oregon

34 km (21 mi) NNE of Bend, OR

3:07 pm PDT, May 15, 2020 · · -1.4 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Jefferson County 34 kmDeschutes County 47 kmCrook County 64 kmWasco County 92 kmWheeler County 99 kmLinn 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
3:07 pm PDT on 15 May 2020 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) east-southeast of Terrebonne, OR · earthquakes near Terrebonne
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
-1.4 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Jefferson County, 34 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2370 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 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Terrebonne, 3 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: Redmond, Culver, Prineville.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 930,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 83× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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 44.3372, -121.1423. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Jefferson County, OR 34 km (21 mi) N earthquakes near Jefferson County
Deschutes County, OR 47 km (29 mi) S earthquakes near Deschutes County
Crook County, OR 64 km (40 mi) ESE earthquakes near Crook County
Wasco County, OR 92 km (57 mi) N earthquakes near Wasco County
Wheeler County, OR 99 km (61 mi) ENE earthquakes near Wheeler County
Linn County, OR 112 km (70 mi) W earthquakes near Linn County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 4 km NNW of Bend, Oregon
  2. 2.2 4 km ESE of Black Butte Ranch, Oregon
  3. 2.0 6 km SW of Tumalo, Oregon
  4. 2.5 5 km SW of Prineville, Oregon
  5. 1.7 3 km SW of Tumalo, Oregon
  6. 2.1 2 km ESE of Tumalo, Oregon
  7. 1.6 2 km SW of Tumalo, Oregon
  8. 2.1 11 km ENE of Terrebonne, Oregon
  9. 2.2 5 km NW of Bend, Oregon
  10. 1.5 8 km E of Culver, Oregon
  11. 2.2 5 km SW of Prineville, Oregon
  12. 2.5 29 km ESE of Bend, Oregon
  13. 1.8 2 km WSW of Tumalo, Oregon
  14. 1.8 3 km NW of Metolius, Oregon
  15. 1.8 3 km NW of Madras, 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.