QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Bodfish, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Bodfish in the 24 hours to 7:32 am PST (15:32 UTC). The last one was M 1.7, 10 km (6 mi) SSW, at 3:38 pm PDT on 30 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Bodfish

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 18 km (11 mi) south-southeast of Bodfish, CA, at 10:24 pm PST on 1 November 2020 (06:24 UTC), 2.2 km deep.

USGS: 18km SSE of Bodfish, CA

55 km (34 mi) E of Bakersfield, CA

10:24 pm PST, Nov 1, 2020 · · 2.2 km deep · released about 7.3 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kern County 28 kmTulare County 94 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
10:24 pm PST on 1 November 2020 ()
Where
18 km (11 mi) south-southeast of Bodfish, CA · earthquakes near Bodfish
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
2.2 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Kern County, 28 km WSW
Nearest mapped fault
Kern Canyon 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 2201 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 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Bodfish, 18 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Lake Isabella, Weldon.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.3 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,500,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.3 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 17 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.8 Near Bakersfield, California · 36 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.7 11km N of Lamont, CA · 42 km WSW of this epicentre
  3. 5.7 12km NW of California City, California · 42 km SE of this epicentre
  4. 5.6 19km N of Tehachapi, CA · 15 km S of this epicentre
  5. 5.6 14km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · 21 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 35.4335, -118.4440. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kern County, CA 28 km (17 mi) WSW earthquakes near Kern County
Tulare County, CA 94 km (58 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tulare County
Ventura County, CA 135 km (84 mi) SSW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 9km S of Tehachapi, CA
  2. 2.1 13km SE of Bodfish, CA
  3. 1.6 12km WNW of Wofford Heights, CA
  4. 1.7 24km NW of Tehachapi, CA
  5. 1.8 24km NNW of Tehachapi, CA
  6. 1.8 23km ENE of Arvin, CA
  7. 1.6 12km W of Mojave, CA
  8. 1.7 11km SSE of Bodfish, CA
  9. 1.8 11km SSE of Bodfish, CA
  10. 2.2 21km SSE of Bodfish, CA
  11. 1.5 21km SSE of Bodfish, CA
  12. 2.0 8km ENE of Oildale, CA
  13. 1.9 12km SE of Bodfish, CA
  14. 1.6 14km SE of Lake Isabella, CA
  15. 2.2 21km NNE 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.