QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.2mw

Earthquake near Searles Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Searles Valley in the 24 hours to 5:54 am PST (13:54 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 4.2 earthquake was recorded 30 km (18 mi) east of Searles Valley, CA, at 1:40 pm PST on 5 December 2018 (21:40 UTC), less than 1 km deep. 106 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 28km E of Trona, CA

1:40 pm PST, Dec 5, 2018 · · 0.8 km deep · released about 30 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Searles Valley Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Inyo County 97 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
1:40 pm PST on 5 December 2018 ()
Where
30 km (18 mi) east of Searles Valley, CA · earthquakes near Searles Valley
Magnitude
M 4.2 (mw)
Depth
0.8 km below the surface
Felt
106 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity VI (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Inyo County, 97 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Panamint Valley fault, under 1 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 2826 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 113 km (70 mi) from the epicentre. In Searles Valley, 30 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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.

Likely felt in: Searles Valley 30 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 30 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 5,600× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 250× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.2 about 30 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 63× more

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 (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. The previous largest was M 4.1 on 2017-08-22.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.0 Death Valley area, California · 31 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 Death Valley area, California · 31 km NNE 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 35.7303, -117.0777. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Inyo County, CA 97 km (60 mi) NNW earthquakes near Inyo County
San Bernardino County, CA 127 km (79 mi) SE earthquakes near San Bernardino 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. 3.4 14km WSW of Searles Valley, CA
  2. 3.5 12km SW of Searles Valley, CA
  3. 4.1 12km SW of Searles Valley, CA
  4. 3.8 15km NE of Ridgecrest, CA
  5. 3.1 13km ENE of Ridgecrest, CA
  6. 3.7 12km SW of Searles Valley, CA
  7. 3.0 7km E of Ridgecrest, CA
  8. 3.4 14km ENE of Ridgecrest, CA
  9. 3.5 7km E of Ridgecrest, CA
  10. 3.5 8 km E of Ridgecrest, California
  11. 3.7 9km SW of Searles Valley, CA
  12. 3.9 14km W of Searles Valley, CA
  13. 3.2 15km SW of Searles Valley, CA
  14. 4.0 11km SSW of Searles Valley, CA
  15. 4.0 15km SW of Searles Valley, 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.