QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Ashland, OR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ashland in the 24 hours to 3:57 am PST (11:57 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 18 km (11 mi) NNW, at 4:47 pm PDT on 13 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ashland

No: USGS classifies this as a explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.9 explosion was recorded 9 km (5 mi) east of Ashland, OR, at 1:47 pm PDT on 23 May 2024 (20:47 UTC), 11 km deep.

USGS: 8 km E of Ashland, Oregon

25 km (16 mi) SE of Medford, OR

1:47 pm PDT, May 23, 2024 · · 11 km deep · released about 25 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Jackson County 24 kmSiskiyou County 68 kmJosephine County 82 kmKlamath County 95 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
1:47 pm PDT on 23 May 2024 ()
Where
9 km (5 mi) east of Ashland, OR · earthquakes near Ashland
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Jackson County, 24 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 903 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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Ashland, 9 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: Talent, Phoenix, Medford.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 25 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 5.8 600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 420,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 38× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 25 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 lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.0 27 km WNW of Klamath Falls, Oregon · 48 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 22 km WNW of Klamath Falls, Oregon · 49 km ENE of this epicentre
  3. 5.1 20 km WNW of Klamath Falls, Oregon · 50 km ENE of this epicentre

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 42.2012, -122.6037. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Jackson County, OR 24 km (15 mi) NNW earthquakes near Jackson County
Siskiyou County, CA 68 km (43 mi) S earthquakes near Siskiyou County
Josephine County, OR 82 km (51 mi) WNW earthquakes near Josephine County
Klamath County, OR 95 km (59 mi) NE earthquakes near Klamath County
Del Norte County, CA 124 km (77 mi) WSW earthquakes near Del Norte 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. 1.8 4 km SE of Eagle Point, Oregon
  2. 2.3 5 km ENE of Medford, Oregon
  3. 1.9 6 km NE of Medford, Oregon
  4. 1.6 8 km WSW of Phoenix, Oregon
  5. 2.0 26 km ENE of Hornbrook, CA
  6. 2.0 19 km SSW of Ashland, Oregon
  7. 1.8 7 km SSE of White City, Oregon
  8. 1.5 7 km SSE of Jacksonville, Oregon
  9. 1.6 6 km W of Central Point, Oregon
  10. 1.6 7 km WNW of Butte Falls, Oregon
  11. 1.5 9 km WSW of Phoenix, Oregon
  12. 1.8 6 km ENE of Medford, Oregon
  13. 1.8 4 km SE of Eagle Point, Oregon
  14. 1.9 8 km SSE of Jacksonville, Oregon
  15. 1.6 23 km WSW of Klamath Falls, 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.