QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Bakersfield, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Bakersfield in the 24 hours to 3:03 am PST (11:03 UTC). The last one was M 2.8, 21 km (13 mi) S, at 2:35 am PDT on 29 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Bakersfield

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 37 km (23 mi) south-southeast of Bakersfield, CA, at 5:56 pm PDT on 2 July 2019 (00:56 UTC), 10 km deep.

USGS: 12km N of Grapevine, CA

35 km (22 mi) SSE of Bakersfield, CA · 124 km (77 mi) NNW of Los Angeles, CA

5:56 pm PDT, Jul 2, 2019 · · 10 km deep · released about 9.6 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Bakersfield Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kern County 38 kmVentura County 79 kmLos Angeles County 113 kmSanta Barbara County 116 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
5:56 pm PDT on 2 July 2019 ()
Where
37 km (23 mi) south-southeast of Bakersfield, CA · earthquakes near Bakersfield
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Kern County, 38 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Wheeler Ridge fault, 6 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 2689 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 7 km (4 mi) from the epicentre. In Bakersfield, 37 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: Arvin, Weedpatch, Lamont, Lebec, Frazier Park, Stallion Springs.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 9.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 99× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 9.6 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 27 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.5 The 1952 Kern County, California Earthquake · 12 km SSW of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 Tejon Pass, California · 17 km S of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 Near Bakersfield, California · 30 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 13km WNW of Grapevine, CA · 15 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.7 11km N of Lamont, CA · 34 km N 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 35.0507, -118.9338. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kern County, CA 38 km (23 mi) NNE earthquakes near Kern County
Ventura County, CA 79 km (49 mi) SSW earthquakes near Ventura County
Los Angeles County, CA 113 km (70 mi) SSE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Santa Barbara County, CA 116 km (72 mi) WSW earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
Kings County, CA 139 km (86 mi) NW earthquakes near Kings County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 11km SSW of Maricopa, CA
  2. 1.8 2km NE of Gorman, CA
  3. 1.9 15km NNE of Pine Mountain Club, CA
  4. 1.6 9km NW of Grapevine, CA
  5. 1.6 9km ENE of Lebec, CA
  6. 2.3 17km NE of Taft, CA
  7. 2.2 12km N of Grapevine, CA
  8. 1.8 16km ESE of Arvin, CA
  9. 1.7 25km ENE of Arvin, CA
  10. 1.7 7km SSW of Tehachapi, CA
  11. 2.1 25km NW of Grapevine, CA
  12. 1.5 18km ESE of Arvin, CA
  13. 2.1 24km NW of Grapevine, CA
  14. 1.8 25km E of Maricopa, CA
  15. 1.9 11km NNW 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.