QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Searles Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Searles Valley in the 24 hours to 7:11 am PST (15:11 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 1.6 earthquake was recorded 30 km (19 mi) east of Searles Valley, CA, at 2:50 am PST on 9 December 2018 (10:50 UTC), 7.7 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 28km E of Trona, CA

2:50 am PST, Dec 9, 2018 · · 7.7 km deep · released about 7.3 lb 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
2:50 am PST on 9 December 2018 ()
Where
30 km (19 mi) east of Searles Valley, CA · earthquakes near Searles Valley
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
7.7 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Inyo County, 97 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Panamint Valley fault, 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 2894 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 8 km (5 mi) from the epicentre. In Searles Valley, 30 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.2 on 2018-12-05 — about 8,200 times the energy of this one.

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 35.7300, -117.0703. 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 126 km (78 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

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

  1. 2.8 12km W of Searles Valley, CA
  2. 3.6 12 km ENE of Ridgecrest, California
  3. 3.2 15km WSW of Searles Valley, CA
  4. 3.3 12km WSW of Searles Valley, CA
  5. 3.1 12km SSW of Searles Valley, CA
  6. 3.4 14km WSW of Searles Valley, CA
  7. 3.5 12km SW of Searles Valley, CA
  8. 4.1 12km SW of Searles Valley, CA
  9. 3.8 15km NE of Ridgecrest, CA
  10. 3.1 13km ENE of Ridgecrest, CA
  11. 3.7 12km SW of Searles Valley, CA
  12. 3.0 7km E of Ridgecrest, CA
  13. 3.4 14km ENE of Ridgecrest, CA
  14. 3.5 7km E of Ridgecrest, CA
  15. 3.5 8 km E of Ridgecrest, California

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.