2.5

M2.5 Earthquake 4 km ENE of Magna, UT — November 18, 2020

2020-11-18 22:17:12 UTC (2020-11-18) · approx. 3:17 PM UTC-7 local

Felt by 192 people across surrounding communities.

MagnitudeM2.5(ml)
Time22:17 UTC≈ 3:17 PM UTC-7
Depth10.2 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates40.728°, -112.060°
Felt by192DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On November 18, 2020 at 22:17 UTC, a magnitude 2.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 4 km ENE of Magna, UT, at a depth of 10.2 km and coordinates 40.7285°, -112.0603°. This earthquake was detected by 37 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 155, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 2.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 73.9 kg of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 30 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

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 40.73°, -112.06°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 192 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M2.5 earthquake near 4 km ENE of Magna, UT

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
2.5 ml
Depth
10.2 km
shallow crustal
Location
40.7285°N
-112.0603°E
Felt Reports
192
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
3.2
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
uu60418877
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
155
Stations Used
37
Azimuthal Gap
43.0°
Min Station Distance
0.019°
RMS Residual
0.18 sec
Last Updated
2021-02-03 17:51:02 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 2.5 earthquake near Magna, UT?

The magnitude 2.5 earthquake that struck 4 km ENE of Magna, UT on November 18, 2020 at 22:17 UTC had a depth of 10.2 km. For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 40.7285°, -112.0603°, which is 4 km ENE of Magna, UT. View all earthquakes in Utah.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 2.5 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 2.5 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: uu60418877). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, November 18, 2020). M2.5 Earthquake 4 km ENE of Magna, UT — November 18, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/uu60418877/