QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Bodfish, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Bodfish in the 24 hours to 6:34 am PST (14:34 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 2.1 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) south-southeast of Bodfish, CA, at 1:24 am PST on 28 December 2021 (09:24 UTC), 2.9 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 11km SSE of Bodfish, CA

57 km (35 mi) ENE of Bakersfield, CA

1:24 am PST, Dec 28, 2021 · · 2.9 km deep · released about 49 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Bodfish Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kern County 31 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
1:24 am PST on 28 December 2021 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) south-southeast of Bodfish, CA · earthquakes near Bodfish
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
2.9 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Kern County, 31 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 1780 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 17 km (11 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 49 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 310,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 220,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 19× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 49 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 4.0 on 2021-08-27 — about 620 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 18 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.3 The 1946 Walker Pass, California Earthquake · 50 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 Near Bakersfield, California · 40 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 5.7 11km N of Lamont, CA · 44 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.7 12km NW of California City, California · 47 km SE of this epicentre
  5. 5.6 19km N of Tehachapi, CA · 22 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 35.5003, -118.4382. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kern County, CA 31 km (20 mi) WSW earthquakes near Kern County
Tulare County, CA 87 km (54 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tulare County
Inyo County, CA 150 km (93 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. 1.8 13km SE of Bodfish, CA
  2. 1.8 12km SE of Bodfish, CA
  3. 3.2 13km SE of Bodfish, CA
  4. 2.3 13km SE of Bodfish, CA
  5. 3.5 13km SE of Bodfish, CA
  6. 1.5 5km WNW of Wofford Heights, CA
  7. 1.8 13km SE of Bodfish, CA
  8. 1.9 11km WNW of Mojave, CA
  9. 2.0 13km SE of Bodfish, CA
  10. 1.9 13km SE of Bodfish, CA
  11. 1.6 14km E of Lake Isabella, CA
  12. 2.7 14km ENE of Lake Isabella, CA
  13. 1.6 13km SE of Bodfish, CA
  14. 2.3 14km ENE of Lake Isabella, CA
  15. 1.7 15km SSE 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.