QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3ml

Earthquake near Three Rivers, OR

No earthquake was likely felt in Three Rivers in the 24 hours to 4:37 pm PST (00:37 UTC). The last one was M 7.0, 482 km (300 mi) SW, at 10:44 am PST on 5 December 2024, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 16,883 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Three Rivers

No: USGS classifies this as a explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 2.3 explosion was recorded 5 km (3 mi) east of Three Rivers, OR, at 4:03 pm PST on 24 November 2020 (00:03 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: Oregon

28 km (17 mi) SSW of Bend, OR

4:03 pm PST, Nov 24, 2020 · · -1.6 km deep · released about 74 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Deschutes County 18 kmCrook County 92 kmJefferson County 94 kmLinn County 117 kmLane 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
4:03 pm PST on 24 November 2020 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) east of Three Rivers, OR · earthquakes near Three Rivers
Magnitude
M 2.3 (ml)
Depth
-1.6 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Deschutes County, 18 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2173 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 19 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Three Rivers, 5 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Sunriver, La Pine, Deschutes River Woods, Bend.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 74 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 140,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 13× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 74 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 43.8193, -121.4125. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Deschutes County, OR 18 km (11 mi) NE earthquakes near Deschutes County
Crook County, OR 92 km (57 mi) ENE earthquakes near Crook County
Jefferson County, OR 94 km (58 mi) NNE earthquakes near Jefferson County
Linn County, OR 117 km (72 mi) NW earthquakes near Linn County
Lane County, OR 120 km (74 mi) W earthquakes near Lane County
Lake County, OR 141 km (88 mi) SE earthquakes near Lake County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 0.5 32 km SW of Sisters, Oregon
  2. 0.8 28 km SW of Sisters, Oregon
  3. 0.4 28 km SW of Sisters, Oregon
  4. 1.9 3 km WSW of Tumalo, Oregon
  5. 2.1 4 km NNW of Bend, Oregon
  6. 1.5 17 km ESE of Sunriver, Oregon
  7. 2.0 6 km SW of Tumalo, Oregon
  8. 1.7 3 km SW of Tumalo, Oregon
  9. 1.7 10 km E of La Pine, Oregon
  10. 2.1 2 km ESE of Tumalo, Oregon
  11. 1.6 2 km SW of Tumalo, Oregon
  12. 1.9 24 km WNW of Sunriver, Oregon
  13. 1.6 24 km WNW of Sunriver, Oregon
  14. 1.5 21 km E of La Pine, Oregon
  15. 2.2 5 km NW of Bend, 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.