explosion · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.9md
Earthquake near Lewiston, ID
USGS: 4 km WSW of Genesee, Idaho
- When
- 4:04 pm PDT on 23 March 2023 ()
- Where
- 11 km (7 mi) NNE of Lewiston, ID · earthquakes near Lewiston
- Magnitude
- M 1.9 (md)
- Depth
- -0.9 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Nez Perce County, 26 km SE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 683 days ago
A magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) NNE of Lewiston, ID, at 4:04 pm PDT on 23 March 2023 (23:04 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Clarkston, West Clarkston-Highland, Lewiston Orchards, Clarkston Heights-Vineland, Lapwai, Asotin.
USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 18 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 840,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 600,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 53× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 1.9 about 18 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 46.5115, -116.9713. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nez Perce County, ID | 26 km (16 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Nez Perce County |
| Latah County, ID | 39 km (24 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Latah County |
| Asotin County, WA | 42 km (26 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Asotin County |
| Garfield County, WA | 44 km (27 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Garfield County |
| Lewis County, ID | 52 km (32 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Lewis County |
| Whitman County, WA | 61 km (38 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Whitman County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
34 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.3 1 km NW of Asotin, Washington
- 2.1 5 km ENE of Pullman, Washington
- 2.3 9 km ESE of Princeton, Idaho
- 1.7 4 km E of Uniontown, Washington
- 2.3 4 km ENE of Pullman, Washington
- 2.3 5 km SSW of Moscow, Idaho
- 1.7 6 km WSW of Troy, Idaho
- 1.6 8 km SSE of Pullman, Washington
- 2.1 2 km SSE of Lewiston Orchards, Idaho
- 2.2 8 km SW of Potlatch, Idaho
- 2.2 2 km NE of Lewiston Orchards, Idaho
- 1.8 14 km E of Pomeroy, Washington
- 1.6 10 km ESE of Moscow, Idaho
- 1.9 7 km WSW of Deary, Idaho
- 1.9 7 km ENE of Troy, 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
- 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.