M2.9 Earthquake 28 km SE of Mapleton, UT — November 16, 2020
2020-11-16 21:41:21 UTC (2020-11-16) · approx. 2:41 PM UTC-7 local
Felt by 10 people across nearby locations.
On November 16, 2020 at 21:41 UTC, a magnitude 2.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 28 km SE of Mapleton, UT, at a depth of 19.8 km and coordinates 39.9722°, -111.3188°. This earthquake was detected by 17 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 130, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 2.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 304 kg of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 58 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Utah, a region characterized by the Wasatch Fault zone at the eastern margin of the Basin and Range Province, where east-west extension produces normal-fault earthquakes. The nearest mapped fault system is the Wasatch Fault. View all earthquakes in Utah.
Learn more: Wasatch Fault · Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 10 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
-111.3188°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 2.9 earthquake near Mapleton, UT?
The magnitude 2.9 earthquake that struck 28 km SE of Mapleton, UT on November 16, 2020 at 21:41 UTC had a depth of 19.8 km. For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 39.9722°, -111.3188°, which is 28 km SE of Mapleton, UT. View all earthquakes in Utah.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 2.9 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Has Utah had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Utah was the M6.6 Magna earthquake of March 18, 2020. Today's magnitude 2.9 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: uu60024109). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, November 16, 2020). M2.9 Earthquake 28 km SE of Mapleton, UT — November 16, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/uu60024109/