QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Sandpoint, ID

No earthquake was likely felt in Sandpoint in the 24 hours to 2:41 am PST (10:41 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 3 km (2 mi) WSW, at 1:14 pm PDT on 2 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Sandpoint

No: USGS classifies this as a explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 2.0 explosion was recorded 5 km (3 mi) west of Sandpoint, ID, at 11:41 am PDT on 30 October 2023 (18:41 UTC), less than 1 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3 km N of Dover, Idaho

91 km (57 mi) NE of Spokane, WA

11:41 am PDT, Oct 30, 2023 · · -0.7 km deep · released about 29 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Bonner County 5 kmPend Oreille County 54 kmBoundary County 55 kmKootenai County 68 kmLincoln County 90 kmStevens County 92 kmSpokane County 94 kmShoshone County 118 kmBenewah County 118 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
11:41 am PDT on 30 October 2023 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) west of Sandpoint, ID · earthquakes near Sandpoint
Idaho today
every earthquake in Idaho in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
-0.7 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Nearest
Bonner County, 5 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1109 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 16 km (10 mi) from the epicentre. In Sandpoint, 5 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Ponderay, Priest River.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 29 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 520,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 370,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 33× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 29 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 48.2837, -116.6197. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Bonner County, ID 5 km (3 mi) N earthquakes near Bonner County
Pend Oreille County, WA 54 km (33 mi) WNW earthquakes near Pend Oreille County
Boundary County, ID 55 km (34 mi) N earthquakes near Boundary County
Kootenai County, ID 68 km (42 mi) S earthquakes near Kootenai County
Lincoln County, MT 90 km (56 mi) ENE earthquakes near Lincoln County
Stevens County, WA 92 km (57 mi) W earthquakes near Stevens County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 2 km NE of Dover, Idaho
  2. 2.2 8 km WNW of Dover, Idaho
  3. 1.7 9 km WSW of Newport, Washington
  4. 1.8 6 km SSW of Athol, Idaho
  5. 1.6 13 km NNW of Athol, Idaho
  6. 1.9 6 km NNW of Priest River, Idaho
  7. 2.1 12 km NNW of Kootenai, Idaho
  8. 1.6 11 km NNW of Kootenai, Idaho
  9. 2.1 7 km WSW of Clark Fork, Idaho
  10. 1.6 18 km N of Kootenai, Idaho
  11. 2.2 8 km NW of Ponderay, Idaho
  12. 1.8 13 km SSW of East Hope, Idaho
  13. 2.1 8 km WNW of Dover, Idaho
  14. 1.8 9 km NNW of Ponderay, Idaho
  15. 1.5 11 km SSW of East Hope, 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.