QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2ml

Earthquake near Wofford Heights, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Wofford Heights in the 24 hours to 4:16 pm PST (00:16 UTC). The last one was M 2.4, 17 km (10 mi) NNE, at 9:35 am PDT on 21 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Wofford Heights

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) northwest of Wofford Heights, CA, at 7:24 pm PDT on 15 August 2019 (02:24 UTC), 6.3 km deep.

USGS: 7km NW of Wofford Heights, CA

66 km (41 mi) NE of Bakersfield, CA · 59 km (37 mi) SE of Porterville, CA

7:24 pm PDT, Aug 15, 2019 · · 6.3 km deep · released about 64 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kern County 50 kmTulare County 58 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
7:24 pm PDT on 15 August 2019 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) northwest of Wofford Heights, CA · earthquakes near Wofford Heights
Magnitude
M 2.2 (ml)
Depth
6.3 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Kern County, 50 km SSW
Nearest mapped fault
Kern Canyon 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 2645 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 18 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Wofford Heights, 7 km away, the estimate is intensity II (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: Wofford Heights 7 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 64 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 230,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 170,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 15× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 64 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 10 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.5 22km N of Tehachapi, CA · 47 km S of this epicentre
  2. 5.4 25km SSW of Bodfish, CA · 43 km S of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 18km NNE of Lamont, CA · 49 km SW of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 26km NE of Arvin, CA · 44 km SSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 30 km ENE of Bakersfield, California · 34 km SSW 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 35.7560, -118.5028. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kern County, CA 50 km (31 mi) SSW earthquakes near Kern County
Tulare County, CA 58 km (36 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tulare County
Kings County, CA 123 km (77 mi) WNW earthquakes near Kings County
Inyo County, CA 133 km (83 mi) NE earthquakes near Inyo County
Fresno County, CA 152 km (95 mi) NW earthquakes near Fresno County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 35km ESE of Bodfish, CA
  2. 1.7 21km ESE of Bodfish, CA
  3. 1.6 18km SSE of Bodfish, CA
  4. 2.0 12km SE of Bodfish, CA
  5. 2.2 8km ESE of Bodfish, CA
  6. 2.0 23km NE of Arvin, CA
  7. 2.0 8km ESE of Bodfish, CA
  8. 1.8 33km SW of Inyokern, CA
  9. 2.0 19km NNE of Kernville, CA
  10. 1.5 32km NW of Kernville, CA
  11. 2.1 31km NW of Kernville, CA
  12. 1.9 10km SE of Bodfish, CA
  13. 1.5 23km N of Tehachapi, CA
  14. 2.2 20km SE of Bodfish, CA
  15. 1.9 18km NNE of Kernville, 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.