Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.9ml
Earthquake near Tehachapi, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Tehachapi in the 24 hours to 5:06 am PST (13:06 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 1.9 earthquake was recorded 25 km (15 mi) north of Tehachapi, CA, at 11:10 am PST on 15 December 2020 (19:10 UTC), 3.4 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 25km N of Tehachapi, CA
49 km (30 mi) E of Bakersfield, CA · 148 km (92 mi) N of Los Angeles, CA
- When
- 11:10 am PST on 15 December 2020 ()
- Where
- 25 km (15 mi) north of Tehachapi, CA · earthquakes near Tehachapi
- Magnitude
- M 1.9 (ml)
- Depth
- 3.4 km below the surface
- Felt
- 1 report · strongest reported intensity II
- Nearest
- Kern County, 21 km W
- Nearest mapped fault
- Breckenridge 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 2158 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Tehachapi, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Tehachapi, CA. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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, 25 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: Golden Hills, Bear Valley Springs, Bodfish, Lake Isabella.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 21 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 710,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 500,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 45× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 1.9 about 21 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 18 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 5.8 Near Bakersfield, California · 28 km WSW of this epicentre
- 5.7 11km N of Lamont, CA · 36 km W of this epicentre
- 5.7 12km NW of California City, California · 42 km ESE of this epicentre
- 5.6 19km N of Tehachapi, CA · 6 km SSE of this epicentre
- 5.6 14km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · 11 km S 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 35.3500, -118.4997. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kern County, CA | 21 km (13 mi) | W | earthquakes near Kern County |
| Tulare County, CA | 101 km (63 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Tulare County |
| Ventura County, CA | 124 km (77 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Ventura County |
| Kings County, CA | 143 km (89 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Kings County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
53 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.8 11km ESE of Lake Isabella, CA
- 2.1 7km S of Mojave, CA
- 1.6 7km S of Mojave, CA
- 1.6 7km S of Mojave, CA
- 2.1 15km ESE of Arvin, CA
- 1.6 7km SSW of Mojave, CA
- 1.5 7km S of Mojave, CA
- 1.5 23km NNW of Tehachapi, CA
- 1.7 17km SE of Bodfish, CA
- 1.8 17km SE of Bodfish, CA
- 2.8 14km SE of Bodfish, CA
- 1.5 11km NW of Mojave, CA
- 1.5 12km WNW of Wofford Heights, CA
- 1.5 24km NNW of Tehachapi, CA
- 1.7 7km SSW of Mojave, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.