Shallow M3.9 Earthquake hit near Provo in The United States on Thursday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 1st, 2025. Last updated May 20th, 2025.

Under land 19 miles from Provo in The United States, a shallow Magnitude 3.9 earthquake occurred just after midnight of Thursday May 1st, 2025. Roughly 2.8 million people may have felt this earthquake.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 19 miles (31 km) east-northeast of Provo in Utah. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 9 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 1, 2025 12:11AM (Denver Time) - May 1, 2025 06:11 Universal Time.
Location:	19 mi ENE of Provo, Utah, The United States. Coordinates 40°19'2"N 111°18'15"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 3.9 Detected by 125 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.028 .
Depth:	9 mi (14 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 2.8 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 2.8 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 24,670 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 1.8 million) live in an area exposed to level II, where very weak shaking and no damage is expected.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Located 19 miles (31 km) north-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Springville (Utah, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Springville is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Provo is located 19 mi to the west-southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Salt Lake City is located 43 mi to the northwest and experienced an intensity of II (very weak shaking, no damage). West Valley City is located 45 mi to the northwest and experienced an intensity of II (very weak shaking, no damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since December 5th, 2024, when a 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit 151 mi (243 km) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck on March 18th, 2020.

In total, 51 earthquakes with a magnitude of 3.9 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 20/05/25 01:38 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake uu80106731
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250501_0000072
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: