Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.0ml
Earthquake near Waldport, OR
USGS: 5 km WSW of Yachats, Oregon
88 km (55 mi) WNW of Eugene, OR
- When
- 10:41 pm PDT on 21 August 2020 ()
- Where
- 16 km (10 mi) SSW of Waldport, OR · earthquakes near Waldport
- Magnitude
- M 2.0 (ml)
- Depth
- 19 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Lincoln County, 43 km NNE
- Nearest mapped fault
- Cascadia fold and fault belt, 1 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 573 days ago
A magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) SSW of Waldport, OR, at 10:41 pm PDT on 21 August 2020 (05:41 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 29 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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 520,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 370,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 33× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.0 about 29 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 44.3017, -124.1703. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, OR | 43 km (27 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Lincoln County |
| Benton County, OR | 63 km (39 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Benton County |
| Polk County, OR | 90 km (56 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Polk County |
| Lane County, OR | 110 km (68 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Lane County |
| Yamhill County, OR | 125 km (78 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Yamhill County |
| Douglas County, OR | 139 km (87 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Douglas County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
36 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.2 32 km W of Yachats, Oregon
- 1.7 24 km W of Newport, Oregon
- 1.8 22 km WNW of Newport, Oregon
- 1.6 9 km NW of Waldport, Oregon
- 1.6 29 km NE of Florence, Oregon
- 2.5 40 km WNW of Yachats, Oregon
- 2.6 20 km W of Newport, Oregon
- 1.9 7 km SE of Toledo, Oregon
- 1.6 24 km W of Newport, Oregon
- 1.8 25 km W of Newport, Oregon
- 1.6 24 km W of Newport, Oregon
- 1.7 29 km WNW of Yachats, Oregon
- 1.7 37 km W of Yachats, Oregon
- 1.9 3 km NW of Yachats, Oregon
- 2.2 25 km W of Newport, 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.