QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0ml

Earthquake near Baker City, OR

No earthquake was likely felt in Baker City in the 24 hours to 5:14 am PST (13:14 UTC). The last one was M 4.3, 83 km (51 mi) NE, at 11:42 pm PST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 136 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Baker City

This page: a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded 45 km (28 mi) east of Baker City, OR, at 1:33 am PST on 8 March 2023 (09:33 UTC), 9.2 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8 km WSW of Richland, Oregon

1:33 am PST, Mar 8, 2023 · · 9.2 km deep · released about 1,100 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Baker County 34 kmWashington County 49 kmAdams County 66 kmUnion County 85 kmPayette County 92 kmWallowa County 95 kmGem 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
1:33 am PST on 8 March 2023 ()
Where
45 km (28 mi) east of Baker City, OR · earthquakes near Baker City
Magnitude
M 3.0 (ml)
Depth
9.2 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Measured shaking
intensity III (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Baker County, 34 km W
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 806 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 37 km (23 mi) from the epicentre. In Baker City, 45 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,100 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 320,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 14,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 10,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 1,100 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 44.7390, -117.2698. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Baker County, OR 34 km (21 mi) W earthquakes near Baker County
Washington County, ID 49 km (31 mi) SE earthquakes near Washington County
Adams County, ID 66 km (41 mi) ENE earthquakes near Adams County
Union County, OR 85 km (53 mi) NW earthquakes near Union County
Payette County, ID 92 km (57 mi) SSE earthquakes near Payette County
Wallowa County, OR 95 km (59 mi) N earthquakes near Wallowa County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 26 km NW of Huntington, Oregon
  2. 1.5 19 km ESE of Richland, Oregon
  3. 1.6 27 km NNW of Huntington, Oregon
  4. 2.1 29 km SW of Richland, Oregon
  5. 1.8 25 km NW of Huntington, Oregon
  6. 2.0 14 km NNE of Brogan, Oregon
  7. 2.0 28 km NW of Huntington, Oregon
  8. 1.7 27 km NW of Huntington, Oregon
  9. 2.1 24 km NW of Huntington, Oregon
  10. 1.7 25 km NW of Huntington, Oregon
  11. 1.8 27 km NW of Huntington, Oregon
  12. 2.3 9 km E of Halfway, Oregon
  13. 2.2 27 km NW of Huntington, Oregon
  14. 1.6 23 km NNW of Huntington, Oregon
  15. 1.7 24 km NNW of Huntington, 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.