QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5ml

Earthquake near Searles Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Searles Valley in the 24 hours to 8:39 am PST (16:39 UTC). The last one was M 2.7, 21 km (13 mi) N, at 11:15 am PST on 4 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Searles Valley

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 50 km (31 mi) northwest of Searles Valley, CA, at 6:38 am PST on 4 December 2017 (14:38 UTC), 6.6 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 17km ENE of Coso Junction, CA

6:38 am PST, Dec 4, 2017 · · 6.6 km deep · released about 170 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Searles Valley Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Inyo County 61 kmTulare County 92 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
6:38 am PST on 4 December 2017 ()
Where
50 km (31 mi) northwest of Searles Valley, CA · earthquakes near Searles Valley
Magnitude
M 2.5 (ml)
Depth
6.6 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Inyo County, 61 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Southern Sierra Nevada fault, 19 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 1558 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 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In Searles Valley, 50 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 170 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 89,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 63,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 170 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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 17 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.3 The 1946 Walker Pass, California Earthquake · 47 km SSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 16km NNE of Ridgecrest, California · 39 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 5.4 14km NW of Inyokern, CA · 44 km SSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.4 4km N of Inyokern, CA · 47 km S of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 17km N of Ridgecrest, California · 37 km SSE 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 36.0980, -117.7740. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Inyo County, CA 61 km (38 mi) NNE earthquakes near Inyo County
Tulare County, CA 92 km (57 mi) W earthquakes near Tulare County
Kern County, CA 120 km (75 mi) SW earthquakes near Kern County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 23km E of Little Lake, CA
  2. 2.8 23km E of Little Lake, CA
  3. 1.6 15km E of Coso Junction, CA
  4. 2.7 20km SE of Little Lake, CA
  5. 1.7 18km NNE of Coso Junction, CA
  6. 2.1 23km NE of Olancha, CA
  7. 1.8 11km ESE of Coso Junction, CA
  8. 1.6 6km E of Coso Junction, CA
  9. 2.3 18km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  10. 2.5 30km N of Searles Valley, CA
  11. 2.2 39km ESE of Lone Pine, CA
  12. 1.8 17km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  13. 1.5 17km NNE of Coso Junction, CA
  14. 2.1 21km NNE of Trona, CA
  15. 2.0 39km E of Olancha, 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.