QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Tehachapi, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Tehachapi in the 24 hours to 3:22 am PST (11:22 UTC). The last one was M 4.3, 61 km (38 mi) ENE, at 9:40 am PDT on 13 July 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Tehachapi

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) south-southwest of Tehachapi, CA, at 9:56 pm PDT on 15 October 2019 (04:56 UTC), less than 1 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7km SSW of Tehachapi, CA

51 km (32 mi) NNW of Lancaster, CA · 118 km (73 mi) N of Los Angeles, CA

9:56 pm PDT, Oct 15, 2019 · · 0.4 km deep · released about 10 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Tehachapi Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kern County 37 kmVentura County 100 kmLos Angeles County 100 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
9:56 pm PDT on 15 October 2019 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) south-southwest of Tehachapi, CA · earthquakes near Tehachapi
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
0.4 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Kern County, 37 km NW
Nearest mapped fault
Garlock fault, 8 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 752 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Tehachapi, 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: Tehachapi 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 10 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 1,500,000× 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 95× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 10 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 24 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.5 The 1952 Kern County, California Earthquake · 49 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 Tejon Pass, California · 43 km WSW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 Near Bakersfield, California · 38 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 5.7 11km N of Lamont, CA · 48 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.7 12km NW of California City, California · 41 km ENE 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 35.0795, -118.4833. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kern County, CA 37 km (23 mi) NW earthquakes near Kern County
Ventura County, CA 100 km (62 mi) SW earthquakes near Ventura County
Los Angeles County, CA 100 km (62 mi) SSE earthquakes near Los Angeles County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 29km NNW of California City, CA
  2. 1.8 14km SSW of Tehachapi, CA
  3. 3.5 14km SSW of Tehachapi, CA
  4. 2.7 32km SE of Bodfish, CA
  5. 2.5 14km SSW of Tehachapi, CA
  6. 1.6 6km SSW of Mojave, CA
  7. 1.6 6km SSW of Mojave, CA
  8. 1.6 24km SE of Bodfish, CA
  9. 1.7 23km NNW of Tehachapi, CA
  10. 1.6 7km S of Mojave, CA
  11. 1.6 21km ESE of Bodfish, CA
  12. 1.9 27km NNW of California City, CA
  13. 2.0 22km NNW of Tehachapi, CA
  14. 2.0 8km NE of Grapevine, CA
  15. 2.3 8km NE 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.