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 9:53 am PST (17:53 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 18 km (11 mi) west-northwest of Searles Valley, CA, at 4:22 am PDT on 7 July 2019 (11:22 UTC), 10 km deep. 24 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 18km WNW of Searles Valley, CA

4:22 am PDT, Jul 7, 2019 · · 10 km deep · released about 26 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Searles Valley Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Inyo County 86 kmKern County 115 kmTulare County 117 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
4:22 am PDT on 7 July 2019 ()
Where
18 km (11 mi) west-northwest of Searles Valley, CA · earthquakes near Searles Valley
Magnitude
M 4.2 (mw)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
24 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity V (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Inyo County, 86 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Airport Lake fault, 10 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 1478 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 109 km (68 mi) from the epicentre. In Searles Valley, 18 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 18 km, intensity III · Ridgecrest 22 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 26 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 6,500× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 290× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 200× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.2 about 26 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 55× 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 since 2016 was M 7.1 on 2019-07-06 — about 26,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.3 The 1946 Walker Pass, California Earthquake · 34 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 16km NNE of Ridgecrest, California · 6 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 5.4 14km NW of Inyokern, CA · 33 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.4 4km N of Inyokern, CA · 25 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 17km N of Ridgecrest, California · 7 km WSW 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 35.8057, -117.5940. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Inyo County, CA 86 km (53 mi) NNE earthquakes near Inyo County
Kern County, CA 115 km (71 mi) WSW earthquakes near Kern County
Tulare County, CA 117 km (72 mi) WNW earthquakes near Tulare County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 8km SW of Searles Valley, CA
  2. 1.9 6km E of Coso Junction, CA
  3. 1.8 13km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  4. 1.9 23km ESE of Ridgecrest, CA
  5. 2.0 14km WSW of Searles Valley, CA
  6. 1.8 21km ESE of Little Lake, CA
  7. 2.6 16km SSW of Searles Valley, CA
  8. 3.4 15km SSW of Searles Valley, CA
  9. 1.9 18km ENE of Little Lake, CA
  10. 2.4 24km ESE of Little Lake, CA
  11. 2.7 13km SW of Searles Valley, CA
  12. 2.1 23km S of Trona, CA
  13. 1.7 23km ESE of Little Lake, CA
  14. 1.5 23km N of Ridgecrest, CA
  15. 1.8 22km ESE of Little Lake, 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.