QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3ml

Earthquake near Searles Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Searles Valley in the 24 hours to 8:06 am PST (16:06 UTC). The last one was M 2.7, 21 km (13 mi) N, at 11:15 am PST on 4 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Searles Valley

This page: a magnitude 3.3 earthquake was recorded 21 km (13 mi) north-northwest of Searles Valley, CA, at 11:29 pm PST on 17 January 2021 (07:29 UTC), 2.8 km deep. 5 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 21km NNW of Searles Valley, CA

11:29 pm PST, Jan 17, 2021 · · 2.8 km deep · released about 1.2 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Searles Valley Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Inyo 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
11:29 pm PST on 17 January 2021 ()
Where
21 km (13 mi) north-northwest of Searles Valley, CA · earthquakes near Searles Valley
Magnitude
M 3.3 (ml)
Depth
2.8 km below the surface
Felt
5 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Inyo County, 68 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Ash Hill fault, 16 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 2056 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 50 km (31 mi) from the epicentre. In Searles Valley, 21 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Searles Valley 21 km, intensity III · Ridgecrest 41 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.2 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 140,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 6,200× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,400× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.2 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.5× more

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 7.1 on 2019-07-06 — about 560,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 15 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.0 Death Valley area, California · 42 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 Death Valley area, California · 42 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 16km NNE of Ridgecrest, California · 26 km SW of this epicentre
  4. 5.4 14km NW of Inyokern, CA · 50 km WSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 4km N of Inyokern, CA · 44 km SW 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 35.9515, -117.4663. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Inyo County, CA 68 km (42 mi) N earthquakes near Inyo County
Tulare County, CA 122 km (76 mi) WNW earthquakes near Tulare County
Kern County, CA 132 km (82 mi) WSW earthquakes near Kern County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 18km SSW of Searles Valley, CA
  2. 1.5 20km ESE of Little Lake, CA
  3. 1.6 13km WNW of Searles Valley, CA
  4. 1.9 13km SW of Searles Valley, CA
  5. 1.9 13km ENE of Ridgecrest, CA
  6. 1.8 13km ENE of Ridgecrest, CA
  7. 2.3 24km NNW of Searles Valley, CA
  8. 2.3 24km NNE of Trona, CA
  9. 3.4 24km NNE of Trona, CA
  10. 2.0 18km W of Searles Valley, CA
  11. 1.9 18km W of Searles Valley, CA
  12. 1.5 20km ESE of Little Lake, CA
  13. 1.8 18km SSW of Searles Valley, CA
  14. 2.0 11km S of Searles Valley, CA
  15. 2.3 21km S of Trona, 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.