QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7ml

Earthquake near Bakersfield, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Bakersfield in the 24 hours to 8:09 am PST (16:09 UTC). The last one was M 2.8, 21 km (13 mi) S, at 2:35 am PDT on 29 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Bakersfield

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 49 km (31 mi) south of Bakersfield, CA, at 6:50 pm PDT on 30 July 2016 (01:50 UTC), 7.0 km deep. 4 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8km W of Grapevine, CA

47 km (29 mi) S of Bakersfield, CA · 116 km (72 mi) NNW of Los Angeles, CA

6:50 pm PDT, Jul 30, 2016 · · 7.0 km deep · released about 310 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Bakersfield Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kern County 53 kmVentura County 65 kmSanta Barbara County 103 kmLos Angeles County 107 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
6:50 pm PDT on 30 July 2016 ()
Where
49 km (31 mi) south of Bakersfield, CA · earthquakes near Bakersfield
Magnitude
M 2.7 (ml)
Depth
7.0 km below the surface
Felt
4 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Kern County, 53 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Pleito fault, 3 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3751 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Bakersfield, 49 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Frazier Park 14 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 310 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 50,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 35,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.1× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 310 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.1 on 2016-03-12 — about 150 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 21 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.5 The 1952 Kern County, California Earthquake · 3 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 Tejon Pass, California · 11 km ESE of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 Near Bakersfield, California · 45 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 13km WNW of Grapevine, CA · 6 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.7 11km N of Lamont, CA · 49 km NNE of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 34.9318, -119.0170. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kern County, CA 53 km (33 mi) NNE earthquakes near Kern County
Ventura County, CA 65 km (40 mi) S earthquakes near Ventura County
Santa Barbara County, CA 103 km (64 mi) WSW earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
Los Angeles County, CA 107 km (67 mi) SE earthquakes near Los Angeles County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

36 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.6 14km N of Castaic, CA
  2. 1.5 15km N of Fillmore, CA
  3. 1.9 18km NNW of Grapevine, CA
  4. 1.7 10km NE of Grapevine, CA
  5. 1.7 17km S of Maricopa, CA
  6. 1.5 16km S of Maricopa, CA
  7. 1.9 19km NNE of Ojai, CA
  8. 2.0 17km NNW of Grapevine, CA
  9. 1.6 3km N of Frazier Park, CA
  10. 1.6 10km NW of Grapevine, CA
  11. 1.6 5km S of Maricopa, CA
  12. 1.5 13km NE of Arvin, CA
  13. 1.6 9km NE of Pine Mountain Club, CA
  14. 2.4 2km SE of Frazier Park, CA
  15. 2.1 1km SE of Frazier Park, CA

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.