QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near La Grande, OR

No earthquake was likely felt in La Grande in the 24 hours to 8:05 pm PST (04:05 UTC). The last one was M 4.3, 82 km (51 mi) E, at 11:42 pm PST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 135 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near La Grande

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 43 km (27 mi) east-southeast of La Grande, OR, at 3:52 am PST on 8 February 2024 (11:52 UTC), 2.5 km deep.

USGS: 21 km ESE of Cove, Oregon

3:52 am PST, Feb 8, 2024 · · 2.5 km deep · released about 8.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Union County 35 kmWallowa County 54 kmBaker County 55 kmAdams County 94 kmUmatilla County 101 kmWashington County 103 kmAsotin 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
3:52 am PST on 8 February 2024 ()
Where
43 km (27 mi) east-southeast of La Grande, OR · earthquakes near La Grande
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
2.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Union County, 35 km WNW
Nearest mapped fault
East Grande Ronde Valley fault, 13 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1008 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 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In La Grande, 43 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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: Union.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 110× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.4 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 45.1930, -117.5742. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Union County, OR 35 km (22 mi) WNW earthquakes near Union County
Wallowa County, OR 54 km (33 mi) NE earthquakes near Wallowa County
Baker County, OR 55 km (34 mi) S earthquakes near Baker County
Adams County, ID 94 km (59 mi) ESE earthquakes near Adams County
Umatilla County, OR 101 km (63 mi) WNW earthquakes near Umatilla County
Washington County, ID 103 km (64 mi) SE earthquakes near Washington County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 4.3 18 km SE of Joseph, Oregon
  2. 1.5 5 km NNW of Enterprise, Oregon
  3. 1.5 3 km SSE of Wallowa, Oregon
  4. 2.0 2 km NNW of North Powder, Oregon
  5. 2.1 17 km NNW of Halfway, Oregon
  6. 2.1 19 km NE of Baker City, Oregon
  7. 2.1 19 km NNW of Halfway, Oregon
  8. 2.6 24 km ENE of Baker City, Oregon
  9. 1.6 13 km SW of Lostine, Oregon
  10. 2.7 21 km NW of Halfway, Oregon
  11. 1.8 10 km SE of La Grande, 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.