QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near China Lake Acres, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in China Lake Acres in the 24 hours to 5:58 am PST (13:58 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 37 km (23 mi) S, at 8:01 am PDT on 23 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near China Lake Acres

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 46 km (29 mi) north-northwest of China Lake Acres, CA, at 10:12 am PST on 6 March 2018 (18:12 UTC), 1.6 km deep.

USGS: 6km E of Coso Junction, CA

10:12 am PST, Mar 6, 2018 · · 1.6 km deep · released about 7.3 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near China Lake Acres Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Inyo County 72 kmTulare County 83 kmKern County 109 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
10:12 am PST on 6 March 2018 ()
Where
46 km (29 mi) north-northwest of China Lake Acres, CA · earthquakes near China Lake Acres
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
1.6 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Inyo County, 72 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Southern Sierra Nevada fault, 8 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 3173 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 China Lake Acres, 46 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 7.3 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 2,100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,500,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.3 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 18 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.3 The 1946 Walker Pass, California Earthquake · 38 km S of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 16km NNE of Ridgecrest, California · 38 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.4 14km NW of Inyokern, CA · 36 km S of this epicentre
  4. 5.4 4km N of Inyokern, CA · 41 km S of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 17km N of Ridgecrest, California · 36 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 36.0425, -117.8823. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Inyo County, CA 72 km (45 mi) NE earthquakes near Inyo County
Tulare County, CA 83 km (52 mi) WNW earthquakes near Tulare County
Kern County, CA 109 km (68 mi) SW earthquakes near Kern County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 28km W of Coso Junction, CA
  2. 1.5 9km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  3. 1.8 24km WNW of Inyokern, CA
  4. 1.6 25km N of Searles Valley, CA
  5. 1.7 19km ENE of Little Lake, CA
  6. 2.0 11km WSW of Searles Valley, CA
  7. 1.7 9km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  8. 1.8 8km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  9. 1.7 9km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  10. 1.6 37km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  11. 2.1 37km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  12. 1.5 8km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  13. 2.0 7km E of Coso Junction, CA
  14. 1.7 12km NE of Little Lake, CA
  15. 2.0 22km ENE of Little Lake, 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.