QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Tehachapi, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Tehachapi in the 24 hours to 12:16 pm PST (20:16 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 2.0 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) south-southeast of Tehachapi, CA, at 10:12 pm PDT on 2 July 2020 (05:12 UTC), 7.6 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7km SSE of Tehachapi, CA

48 km (30 mi) NNW of Lancaster, CA · 117 km (73 mi) N of Los Angeles, CA

10:12 pm PDT, Jul 2, 2020 · · 7.6 km deep · released about 30 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Tehachapi Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kern County 41 kmLos Angeles County 99 kmVentura County 103 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
10:12 pm PDT on 2 July 2020 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) south-southeast of Tehachapi, CA · earthquakes near Tehachapi
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
7.6 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Kern County, 41 km NW
Nearest mapped fault
Garlock 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 2323 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 14 km (9 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 30 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 350,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 32× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 30 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 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.0 Tejon Pass, California · 48 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 Near Bakersfield, California · 43 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 5.7 12km NW of California City, California · 36 km ENE of this epicentre
  4. 5.6 19km N of Tehachapi, CA · 26 km N of this epicentre
  5. 5.6 14km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · 21 km NNW 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 35.0730, -118.4217. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kern County, CA 41 km (26 mi) NW earthquakes near Kern County
Los Angeles County, CA 99 km (61 mi) S earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 103 km (64 mi) SW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 30km SE of Bodfish, CA
  2. 1.7 13km S of Arvin, CA
  3. 2.0 12km SE of Bodfish, CA
  4. 1.5 20km NNW of Tehachapi, CA
  5. 1.7 10km SSE of Tehachapi, CA
  6. 2.5 18km WNW of Tehachapi, CA
  7. 3.5 22km ESE of Bodfish, CA
  8. 1.6 14km SSE of Bodfish, CA
  9. 1.5 6km S of Mojave, CA
  10. 1.5 13km W of Mojave, CA
  11. 1.8 36km NNW of California City, CA
  12. 1.9 25km N of Tehachapi, CA
  13. 1.8 6km S of Lamont, CA
  14. 1.7 15km S of Arvin, CA
  15. 2.5 14km S of Arvin, 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.