QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

Earthquake near Death Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Death Valley in the 24 hours to 8:54 am PST (16:54 UTC). The last one was M 4.0, 94 km (59 mi) WSW, at 12:59 am PDT on 23 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 8 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Death Valley

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 39 km (24 mi) west of Death Valley, CA, at 12:56 pm PDT on 12 April 2020 (19:56 UTC), 3.1 km deep.

USGS: 40km SSW of Stovepipe Wells, CA

12:56 pm PDT, Apr 12, 2020 · · 3.1 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Death Valley Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Inyo County 37 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
12:56 pm PDT on 12 April 2020 ()
Where
39 km (24 mi) west of Death Valley, CA · earthquakes near Death Valley
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
3.1 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Inyo County, 37 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Towne Pass fault, 2 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 2404 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 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In Death Valley, 39 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 120,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 86,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.7× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 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 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.0 Death Valley area, California · 36 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 Death Valley area, California · 36 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.3 27km E of Coso Junction, California · 41 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 28km E of Coso Junction, California · 41 km WSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 30km E of Coso Junction, California · 38 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 36.2527, -117.2497. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Inyo County, CA 37 km (23 mi) NNW earthquakes near Inyo County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 21km NNE of Trona, CA
  2. 1.9 33km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  3. 1.5 33km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  4. 1.7 33km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
  5. 2.1 17km NNW of Searles Valley, CA
  6. 1.6 17km NNW of Searles Valley, CA
  7. 1.6 26km N of Searles Valley, CA
  8. 2.0 26km N of Searles Valley, CA
  9. 1.8 25km N of Trona, CA
  10. 1.7 26km N of Searles Valley, CA
  11. 1.6 22km N of Searles Valley, CA
  12. 2.4 22km N of Searles Valley, CA
  13. 1.5 27km N of Searles Valley, CA
  14. 1.9 22km N of Searles Valley, CA
  15. 1.7 22km N of Searles Valley, 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.