QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Alta Sierra, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Alta Sierra in the 24 hours to 7:46 am PST (15:46 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 14 km (9 mi) ESE, at 2:37 am PDT on 6 October 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 30 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Alta Sierra

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 39 km (24 mi) north-northeast of Alta Sierra, CA, at 12:03 pm PST on 5 January 2018 (20:03 UTC), 3.6 km deep.

USGS: 32km NNE of Kernville, CA

99 km (61 mi) NE of Bakersfield, CA

12:03 pm PST, Jan 5, 2018 · · 3.6 km deep · released about 7.8 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Alta Sierra Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Tulare County 45 kmKern County 84 kmInyo County 102 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
12:03 pm PST on 5 January 2018 ()
Where
39 km (24 mi) north-northeast of Alta Sierra, CA · earthquakes near Alta Sierra
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
3.6 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Tulare County, 45 km WNW
Nearest mapped fault
Kern Canyon fault, 10 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 3227 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Alta Sierra, 39 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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 7.8 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 120× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.8 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 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.4 14km NW of Inyokern, CA · 50 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 7km ESE of Coso Junction, CA · 42 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 5 km S of Springville, California · 44 km W of this epicentre
  4. 5.0 22km WNW of Inyokern, CA · 45 km SE of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 23km SSW of Little Lake, CA · 41 km SE 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 36.0335, -118.3392. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Tulare County, CA 45 km (28 mi) WNW earthquakes near Tulare County
Kern County, CA 84 km (52 mi) SSW earthquakes near Kern County
Inyo County, CA 102 km (64 mi) NE earthquakes near Inyo County
Fresno County, CA 143 km (89 mi) NW earthquakes near Fresno County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 10km ESE of Kernville, CA
  2. 1.7 10km ESE of Kernville, CA
  3. 1.6 8km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  4. 1.6 11km S of Olancha, CA
  5. 1.6 7km SSW of Coso Junction, CA
  6. 2.5 7km SSW of Coso Junction, CA
  7. 2.0 7km SSW of Coso Junction, CA
  8. 1.7 28km W of Coso Junction, CA
  9. 1.5 9km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  10. 1.8 24km WNW of Inyokern, CA
  11. 1.7 9km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  12. 1.8 8km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  13. 1.7 9km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  14. 2.5 20km SW of Lone Pine, CA
  15. 1.5 8km ENE of Coso Junction, 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.