The map shows quakes of M1.5 and up from the last 90 days, the 5 biggest on record, and always the very latest quake — even if it was smaller than M1.5. The list below can include smaller ones the map leaves out. Tap any dot for details.
In the last 30 days, 0 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of Chester. The biggest quake on record near Chester — records go back to 1980 — was the M5.8 of Aug 23, 2011, 17:51 UTC: 11 km SSW of Mineral, Virginia.
Latest earthquakes near Chester
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M2.4 | 11 km S of Woodlake, Virginia | Mar 20, 2026, 05:51 PM | 0 km | 20 km WSW |
| M4.5 | 8 km SW of Mineral, Virginia | Aug 25, 2011, 01:07 AM | 7 km | 80 km NW |
| M4.2 | 11 km SSW of Mineral, Virginia | Aug 23, 2011, 08:04 PM | 0 km | 77 km NW |
| M5.8 | 11 km SSW of Mineral, Virginia | Aug 23, 2011, 01:51 PM | 6 km | 75 km NW |
| M4.5 | 5 km ENE of Columbia, Virginia | Dec 09, 2003, 03:59 PM | 10 km | 74 km NW |
| M4.2 | 5 km WNW of Palmyra, Virginia | Aug 17, 1984, 02:05 PM | 9 km | 97 km NW |
Earthquakes per year near Chester (M3.0 and up, within 100 km)
M3.0–3.9 M4.0+
Each bar is one year; taller means more quakes (M3.0 and up). The dark red part is the bigger ones (M4.0+), counted inside the number above each bar — not added on top. These may be felt, depending on how far away and how deep they are. 2026 is not a full year yet — it only counts up to today. Source: USGS Earthquake Catalog.
What the last year looked like near Chester
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 1 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 5 biggest earthquakes on record near Chester (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M5.8 | 11 km SSW of Mineral, Virginia | Aug 23, 2011, 17:51 UTC | 75 km |
| M4.5 | 8 km SW of Mineral, Virginia | Aug 25, 2011, 05:07 UTC | 80 km |
| M4.5 | 5 km ENE of Columbia, Virginia | Dec 09, 2003, 20:59 UTC | 74 km |
| M4.2 | 11 km SSW of Mineral, Virginia | Aug 24, 2011, 00:04 UTC | 77 km |
| M4.2 | 5 km WNW of Palmyra, Virginia | Aug 17, 1984, 18:05 UTC | 97 km |
Nearby places
Bellwood, VA (7 km) · Bensley, VA (10 km) · Colonial Heights, VA (10 km) · Richmond, VA (22 km) · Tuckahoe, VA (28 km) · Mechanicsville, VA (29 km)
USGS data fetched Nov 03, 2026, 20:45 UTC · page built Nov 03, 2026, 20:45 UTC. How to read this page: recent-window counts cover M1.5+ events within 100 km; the 10-year layer is based on M3.0+ and the history layer on M4.0+ since 1980. Recording completeness varies by era and region — small quakes from early decades are under-recorded, so “no record” does not prove “never happened”. Depths are relative to sea level and can be slightly negative for shallow events in elevated terrain. Method: data & methodology.