QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

Earthquake near Lone Pine, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Lone Pine in the 24 hours to 1:25 pm PST (21:25 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 16 km (10 mi) SE, at 9:24 pm PDT on 29 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Lone Pine

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) southwest of Lone Pine, CA, at 1:30 pm PDT on 18 May 2021 (20:30 UTC), 8.6 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 10km WSW of Lone Pine, CA

1:30 pm PDT, May 18, 2021 · · 8.6 km deep · released about 130 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Tulare County 65 kmInyo County 68 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
1:30 pm PDT on 18 May 2021 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) southwest of Lone Pine, CA · earthquakes near Lone Pine
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
8.6 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Tulare County, 65 km WSW
Nearest mapped fault
Owens Valley fault, 10 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 2003 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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Lone Pine, 12 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: Lone Pine 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 130 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 5.8 110,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 80,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 130 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 5.8 on 2020-06-24 — about 110,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.5 10 km N of Independence, California · 40 km N of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 18km NE of Olancha, CA · 32 km ESE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 18km NE of Olancha, CA · 33 km ESE 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 36.5410, -118.1687. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Tulare County, CA 65 km (40 mi) WSW earthquakes near Tulare County
Inyo County, CA 68 km (42 mi) E earthquakes near Inyo County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 16km SE of Lone Pine, CA
  2. 2.0 18km SE of Lone Pine, CA
  3. 1.6 9km S of Olancha, CA
  4. 1.6 9km SSW of Olancha, CA
  5. 1.7 17km NNE of Independence, CA
  6. 1.8 17km NNE of Independence, CA
  7. 1.8 16km SE of Lone Pine, CA
  8. 1.9 16km SE of Lone Pine, CA
  9. 2.7 14km ESE of Olancha, CA
  10. 2.3 8km NNE of Olancha, CA
  11. 2.0 19km SE of Lone Pine, CA
  12. 2.0 15km SE of Lone Pine, CA
  13. 1.5 12km SE of Olancha, CA
  14. 1.9 12km SE of Olancha, CA
  15. 2.9 12km SE of Olancha, 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.