QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Warm Springs, OR

No earthquake was likely felt in Warm Springs in the 24 hours to 3:39 pm PST (23:39 UTC). The last one was M 7.0, 577 km (358 mi) SSW, at 10:44 am PST on 5 December 2024, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 16,883 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Warm Springs

No: USGS classifies this as a explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.7 explosion was recorded 36 km (22 mi) north of Warm Springs, OR, at 1:57 pm PDT on 30 April 2021 (20:57 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 5 km ESE of Pine Grove, Oregon

1:57 pm PDT, Apr 30, 2021 · · -1.3 km deep · released about 9.3 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Wasco County 14 kmJefferson County 50 kmHood River County 55 kmSherman County 60 kmClackamas County 70 kmGilliam County 87 kmKlickitat County 97 kmMultnomah County 101 kmMarion County 102 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
1:57 pm PDT on 30 April 2021 ()
Where
36 km (22 mi) north of Warm Springs, OR · earthquakes near Warm Springs
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
-1.3 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Wasco County, 14 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 613 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Warm Springs, 36 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 9.3 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 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 100× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 9.3 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 45.0848, -121.3078. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Wasco County, OR 14 km (9 mi) NE earthquakes near Wasco County
Jefferson County, OR 50 km (31 mi) SSE earthquakes near Jefferson County
Hood River County, OR 55 km (34 mi) NNW earthquakes near Hood River County
Sherman County, OR 60 km (38 mi) NE earthquakes near Sherman County
Clackamas County, OR 70 km (44 mi) W earthquakes near Clackamas County
Gilliam County, OR 87 km (54 mi) ENE earthquakes near Gilliam County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 0.8 6 km ENE of Government Camp, Oregon
  2. 0.9 8 km NNE of Government Camp, Oregon
  3. 1.1 6 km ENE of Government Camp, Oregon
  4. 0.8 9 km NNE of Government Camp, Oregon
  5. 0.4 6 km NE of Government Camp, Oregon
  6. 1.4 9 km NNE of Government Camp, Oregon
  7. 0.0 7 km ENE of Government Camp, Oregon
  8. 1.9 8 km NNE of Government Camp, Oregon
  9. 1.9 8 km NNE of Government Camp, Oregon
  10. 1.6 5 km ENE of Government Camp, Oregon
  11. 1.8 3 km NW of Madras, Oregon
  12. 1.6 7 km ENE of Government Camp, Oregon
  13. 1.6 2 km E of Government Camp, Oregon
  14. 1.8 2 km E of Government Camp, Oregon
  15. 1.6 1 km E of Government Camp, 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.