SIGNIFICANT EARTHQUAKES IN 2002

NORTH AMERICAN earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or larger outside of the West Coast and Alaska:

Summary: Ten magnitude 4 or larger earthquakes were reported outside of the Western US and Canada during the year. The largest were a magnitude 5 earthquake in Northeastern New York and a magnitude 5 in Indiana. The New York earthquake was felt throughout the state and as far away as New Brunswick and Maryland. The Indiana earthquake was felt in eastern Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. No significant injuries were reported in either earthquake.

DATE TIME (UTC)

DEPTH (km)

mb

ML

Mw

Location

JANUARY

18 11 18 15

9

3.4

4.1

HAWAII. 25 miles S Hilo. Felt throughout the island of Hawaii.

31 18 17 46

5

4.3

COLORADO. 18 miles SSW Craig, CO. Felt from Craig to Grand Junction.

FEBRUARY

02 06 06 55

5

4

MONTANA. 22 miles SE Butte, Montana. Felt in the epicentral area.

APRIL

20 10 50 44

11

5.2

5.1

5

NEW YORK. 17 miles SW Plattsburgh, NY. Some roads, bridges, chimneys and water mains damaged in Clinton and Essex Counties. Many buildings in the area had cracked walls and foundations, broken windows and small items knocked from shelves. Maximum intensity VII at Au Sable Forks. Felt from New Brunswick and Maine to Ohio and Michigan and from Ontario and Quebec to Maryland.

20 11 04 41

5

4

NEW YORK. 18 miles SW Plattsburgh, NY. Aftershock of above. Felt in NE New York, NW Vermont and S Quebec.

JUNE

18 17:37:15

5

4.4

5

SOUTHWEST INDIANA. 10 miles NW of Evansville, Indiana. Minor damage (VI) in the epicentral area. Felt in eastern Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio.

JULY

23 02 08 59

4

MAINE. 178 miles NNE Fort Kent, Maine.

OCTOBER

22 04 11 16

5

4.4

WYOMING. 21 miles S Jackson WY. Felt from Idaho Falls and Soda Springs, Idaho to Moran, and JacksonWY.

NOVEMBER

03 20 41 56

5

4.3

4.3

NEBRASKA. 28 miles NNW O'Neill, Nebraska. Peak intensity IV in Atkinson, Nebraska. Felt widely in north-central Nebraska, also felt in SE South Dakota, W Iowa, and SW Minnesota.

11 23 39 28

5

4

4.4

OFFSHORE SOUTH CAROLINA. 30 miles SSW of Charleston,SC. Felt in coastal towns from southern North Carolina to northern Georgia.

 

Magnitudes: mb body wave magnitude, Mw moment magnitude, ML local magnitude. MMI: Modified Mercalli Intensity.

This information compiled by Lori Dengler, Humboldt Earthquake Education Center based on information provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, Berkeley Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, and Harvard University, January 10, 2003.