QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2ml

Earthquake near Rosedale, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Rosedale in the 24 hours to 11:12 am PST (19:12 UTC). The last one was M 4.3, 121 km (75 mi) E, at 9:40 am PDT on 13 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Rosedale

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 15 km (9 mi) south-southwest of Rosedale, CA, at 11:38 pm PDT on 2 May 2018 (06:38 UTC), 24 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 15km SSW of Rosedale, CA

18 km (11 mi) SW of Bakersfield, CA

11:38 pm PDT, May 2, 2018 · · 24 km deep · released about 56 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kern County 44 kmVentura County 100 kmKings County 107 kmSanta Barbara County 111 kmTulare County 115 kmSan Luis Obispo County 115 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
11:38 pm PDT on 2 May 2018 ()
Where
15 km (9 mi) south-southwest of Rosedale, CA · earthquakes near Rosedale
Magnitude
M 2.2 (ml)
Depth
24 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Kern County, 44 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3031 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Rosedale, 15 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Greenacres, Bakersfield, Oildale, Weedpatch, Lamont, Ford City.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 56 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 270,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 190,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 17× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 56 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 4.9 on 2016-02-24 — about 11,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 19 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.5 The 1952 Kern County, California Earthquake · 38 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 Tejon Pass, California · 48 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 Near Bakersfield, California · 36 km E of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 13km WNW of Grapevine, CA · 33 km SSE of this epicentre
  5. 5.7 11km N of Lamont, CA · 30 km ENE 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 35.2545, -119.1960. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kern County, CA 44 km (27 mi) ENE earthquakes near Kern County
Ventura County, CA 100 km (62 mi) S earthquakes near Ventura County
Kings County, CA 107 km (66 mi) NNW earthquakes near Kings County
Santa Barbara County, CA 111 km (69 mi) SW earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
Tulare County, CA 115 km (71 mi) NNE earthquakes near Tulare County
San Luis Obispo County, CA 115 km (71 mi) W earthquakes near San Luis Obispo 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. 2.1 19km E of Maricopa, CA
  2. 1.6 24km ENE of Maricopa, CA
  3. 2.6 16km NW of Grapevine, CA
  4. 1.7 16km NW of Pine Mountain Club, CA
  5. 2.2 16km NW of Pine Mountain Club, CA
  6. 2.2 3km NW of Frazier Park, CA
  7. 2.2 16km NW of Pine Mountain Club, CA
  8. 1.5 10km SE of Maricopa, CA
  9. 1.6 7km S of Lamont, CA
  10. 1.7 12km WNW of Pine Mountain Club, CA
  11. 2.0 12km SW of Taft, CA
  12. 1.9 9km WNW of Frazier Park, CA
  13. 1.5 9km WSW of Grapevine, CA
  14. 2.1 22km NW of Grapevine, CA
  15. 1.8 9km WSW of Lamont, 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.