QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

15km SSW of San Miguel Is., CA

Yes. A magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 15km SSW of San Miguel Is., CA, at 4:09 am PDT on 30 May 2023 (11:09 UTC), 6.4 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

· 6.4 km deep · released about 26 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Santa Barbara County 79 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
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
6.4 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Santa Barbara County, 79 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1259 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 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 26 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 580,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 410,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 36× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 26 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 since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 33.9050, -120.4310. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Santa Barbara County, CA 79 km (49 mi) NNE earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
Ventura County, CA 130 km (81 mi) ENE earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 24 km SSW of Santa Rosa Is., CA
  2. 2.6 15 km S of Santa Rosa Is., CA
  3. 2.5 16 km S of Santa Rosa Is., CA
  4. 2.2 23 km NW of Santa Cruz Is. (NW end), CA
  5. 2.3 22 km S of Santa Rosa Is., CA
  6. 3.2 23 km SSE of Santa Rosa Is., 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.