QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7md

Earthquake near Priest River, ID

No earthquake was likely felt in Priest River in the 24 hours to 10:42 pm PST (06:42 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 17 km (11 mi) NE, at 8:46 am PDT on 28 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Priest River

No: USGS classifies this as a explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.7 explosion was recorded 6 km (4 mi) north-northwest of Priest River, ID, at 12:27 pm PST on 23 January 2024 (20:27 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 5 km NNW of Priest River, Idaho

73 km (45 mi) NNE of Spokane, WA · 59 km (37 mi) N of Coeur d'Alene, ID

12:27 pm PST, Jan 23, 2024 · · -0.7 km deep · released about 10 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Bonner County 25 kmPend Oreille County 41 kmKootenai County 64 kmBoundary County 68 kmStevens County 70 kmSpokane County 76 kmLincoln County 115 kmBenewah County 115 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
12:27 pm PST on 23 January 2024 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) north-northwest of Priest River, ID · earthquakes near Priest River
Idaho today
every earthquake in Idaho in the last 24 hours
Magnitude
M 1.7 (md)
Depth
-0.7 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Bonner County, 25 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 982 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 Priest River, 6 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: Sandpoint, Spirit Lake.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 10 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 1,500,000× 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 95× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 10 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 48.2293, -116.9382. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Bonner County, ID 25 km (16 mi) ENE earthquakes near Bonner County
Pend Oreille County, WA 41 km (26 mi) NNW earthquakes near Pend Oreille County
Kootenai County, ID 64 km (40 mi) SSE earthquakes near Kootenai County
Boundary County, ID 68 km (42 mi) NNE earthquakes near Boundary County
Stevens County, WA 70 km (44 mi) WNW earthquakes near Stevens County
Spokane County, WA 76 km (47 mi) SSW earthquakes near Spokane County

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

Aftershocks so far

23 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. 1.6 18 km N of Kootenai, Idaho
  10. 2.2 8 km NW of Ponderay, Idaho
  11. 2.1 8 km WNW of Dover, Idaho
  12. 1.8 9 km NNW of Ponderay, Idaho
  13. 1.8 20 km NE of Deer Park, Washington
  14. 2.1 12 km N of Priest River, Idaho
  15. 2.3 15 km N of Kootenai, 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.