QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Saint Maries, ID

No earthquake was likely felt in Saint Maries in the 24 hours to 12:04 am PST (08:04 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 8 km (5 mi) SSE, at 10:53 am PDT on 20 April 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Saint Maries

No: USGS classifies this as a explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 2.1 explosion was recorded 4 km (2 mi) north-northwest of Saint Maries, ID, at 10:55 am PDT on 4 May 2021 (17:55 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 3 km NNW of Saint Maries, Idaho

74 km (46 mi) ESE of Spokane, WA · 43 km (27 mi) SSE of Coeur d'Alene, ID

10:55 am PDT, May 4, 2021 · · -0.7 km deep · released about 51 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Benewah County 15 kmKootenai County 38 kmShoshone County 52 kmLatah County 60 kmSpokane County 69 kmWhitman County 87 kmClearwater County 102 kmBonner County 109 kmNez Perce County 113 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
10:55 am PDT on 4 May 2021 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) north-northwest of Saint Maries, ID · earthquakes near Saint Maries
Idaho today
every earthquake in Idaho in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
-0.7 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Benewah County, 15 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2017 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 18 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Saint Maries, 4 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: Plummer.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 51 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 210,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 19× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 51 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 47.3455, -116.5762. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Benewah County, ID 15 km (9 mi) SSW earthquakes near Benewah County
Kootenai County, ID 38 km (24 mi) NNW earthquakes near Kootenai County
Shoshone County, ID 52 km (32 mi) E earthquakes near Shoshone County
Latah County, ID 60 km (37 mi) SSW earthquakes near Latah County
Spokane County, WA 69 km (43 mi) WNW earthquakes near Spokane County
Whitman County, WA 87 km (54 mi) WSW earthquakes near Whitman County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 4 km E of Plummer, Idaho
  2. 1.8 5 km WNW of Rockford Bay, Idaho
  3. 2.1 4 km NW of Rockford Bay, Idaho
  4. 1.6 7 km SSE of Saint Maries, Idaho
  5. 1.6 13 km SSE of Liberty Lake, Washington
  6. 2.1 6 km N of Onaway, Idaho
  7. 2.0 3 km N of Harrison, Idaho
  8. 2.1 10 km SSW of Saint Maries, Idaho
  9. 1.9 4 km SSE of Saint Maries, Idaho
  10. 2.0 4 km E of Plummer, Idaho
  11. 1.6 9 km NNE of Parkline, Idaho
  12. 1.6 4 km N of Rockford Bay, Idaho
  13. 1.9 4 km SW of Farmington, Washington
  14. 1.9 7 km S of Chatcolet, Idaho
  15. 1.6 7 km WNW of Rockford Bay, Idaho

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.