QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Bodfish, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Bodfish in the 24 hours to 5:28 am PST (13:28 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 1.8 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) south-southeast of Bodfish, CA, at 6:07 pm PDT on 3 April 2021 (01:07 UTC), 2.4 km deep.

USGS: 11km SSE of Bodfish, CA

55 km (34 mi) ENE of Bakersfield, CA

6:07 pm PDT, Apr 3, 2021 · · 2.4 km deep · released about 14 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kern County 30 kmTulare County 87 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
6:07 pm PDT on 3 April 2021 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) south-southeast of Bodfish, CA · earthquakes near Bodfish
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
2.4 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Kern County, 30 km WSW
Nearest mapped fault
Kern Canyon 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 2048 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 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Bodfish, 11 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: Bodfish 11 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 14 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 790,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 70× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 14 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 · 38 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 5.7 11km N of Lamont, CA · 43 km WSW of this epicentre
  3. 5.7 12km NW of California City, California · 47 km SE of this epicentre
  4. 5.6 19km N of Tehachapi, CA · 21 km S of this epicentre
  5. 5.6 14km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · 28 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 35.4935, -118.4510. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kern County, CA 30 km (19 mi) WSW earthquakes near Kern County
Tulare County, CA 87 km (54 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tulare County
Inyo County, CA 152 km (94 mi) NE earthquakes near Inyo 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. 1.9 12km ESE of Bodfish, CA
  2. 1.9 10km SE of Bodfish, CA
  3. 3.7 14km W of Mojave, CA
  4. 2.0 15km NNW of Tehachapi, CA
  5. 1.8 16km NW of Tehachapi, CA
  6. 1.9 12km SE of Bodfish, CA
  7. 1.6 13km SE of Bodfish, CA
  8. 1.8 22km ESE of Bodfish, CA
  9. 2.0 13km SE of Bodfish, CA
  10. 2.1 20km NW of Tehachapi, CA
  11. 1.6 14km NNW of Tehachapi, CA
  12. 1.8 12km SE of Bodfish, CA
  13. 1.6 13km SE of Bodfish, CA
  14. 2.2 13km SE of Bodfish, CA
  15. 2.0 13km SE of Bodfish, 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.