QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Maricopa, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Maricopa in the 24 hours to 3:01 am PST (11:01 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 51 km (32 mi) ESE, at 3:38 am PDT on 12 July 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 798 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Maricopa

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 24 km (15 mi) east-northeast of Maricopa, CA, at 2:33 am PDT on 23 April 2019 (09:33 UTC), 23 km deep.

USGS: 24km ENE of Maricopa, CA

28 km (17 mi) SSW of Bakersfield, CA · 140 km (87 mi) NNW of Los Angeles, CA

2:33 am PDT, Apr 23, 2019 · · 23 km deep · released about 6.8 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kern County 45 kmVentura County 85 kmSanta Barbara County 104 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
2:33 am PDT on 23 April 2019 ()
Where
24 km (15 mi) east-northeast of Maricopa, CA · earthquakes near Maricopa
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
23 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Kern County, 45 km ENE
Nearest mapped fault
Wheeler Ridge fault, 12 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 2759 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 Maricopa, 24 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Weedpatch, Lamont, South Taft, Taft, Ford City, Rosedale.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.8 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 2,200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 140× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 6.8 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 22 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.5 The 1952 Kern County, California Earthquake · 23 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 Tejon Pass, California · 33 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 Near Bakersfield, California · 37 km ENE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 13km WNW of Grapevine, CA · 18 km SSE of this epicentre
  5. 5.7 11km N of Lamont, CA · 35 km NE 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 35.1213, -119.1455. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kern County, CA 45 km (28 mi) ENE earthquakes near Kern County
Ventura County, CA 85 km (53 mi) S earthquakes near Ventura County
Santa Barbara County, CA 104 km (65 mi) SW earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
Kings County, CA 122 km (76 mi) NNW earthquakes near Kings County
San Luis Obispo County, CA 122 km (76 mi) WNW earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County
Los Angeles County, CA 131 km (81 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

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

  1. 1.9 19km N of Pine Mountain Club, CA
  2. 1.6 4km SSW of Frazier Park, CA
  3. 1.5 19km N of Pine Mountain Club, CA
  4. 2.1 9km WNW of Pine Mountain Club, CA
  5. 2.6 7km SSW of Lamont, CA
  6. 1.6 8km E of Bakersfield, CA
  7. 1.8 18km WNW of Tehachapi, CA
  8. 1.5 9km W of Frazier Park, CA
  9. 1.7 18km SSW of Maricopa, CA
  10. 1.6 3km SW of Lebec, CA
  11. 2.1 11km N of Pine Mountain Club, CA
  12. 1.6 11km N of Grapevine, CA
  13. 2.4 25km NW of Grapevine, CA
  14. 2.1 25km E of Maricopa, CA
  15. 2.8 12km N of Grapevine, 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.