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 5:58 am PST (13:58 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 25 km (15 mi) southwest of Bodfish, CA, at 5:41 am PDT on 12 April 2023 (12:41 UTC), 3.5 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 25km SW of Bodfish, CA

36 km (22 mi) E of Bakersfield, CA

5:41 am PDT, Apr 12, 2023 · · 3.5 km deep · released about 17 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kern County 10 kmTulare County 93 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
5:41 am PDT on 12 April 2023 ()
Where
25 km (15 mi) southwest of Bodfish, CA · earthquakes near Bodfish
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
3.5 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Kern County, 10 km SW
Nearest mapped fault
Breckenridge 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 1310 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. In Bodfish, 25 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Bear Valley Springs, Arvin, Lake Isabella, Lamont.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 17 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 5.8 870,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 620,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 55× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 17 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 1,700 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 17 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.8 Near Bakersfield, California · 18 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 5.7 11km N of Lamont, CA · 23 km WSW of this epicentre
  3. 5.6 19km N of Tehachapi, CA · 19 km SE of this epicentre
  4. 5.6 14km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · 22 km SE of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 13km ENE of Grapevine, CA · 48 km SSW 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 35.4025, -118.6440. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kern County, CA 10 km (6 mi) SW earthquakes near Kern County
Tulare County, CA 93 km (58 mi) N earthquakes near Tulare County
Ventura County, CA 124 km (77 mi) SSW earthquakes near Ventura County
Kings County, CA 129 km (80 mi) NW earthquakes near Kings County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 13km ESE of Tehachapi, CA
  2. 2.2 16km SSW of Tehachapi, CA
  3. 2.3 16km SSW of Tehachapi, CA
  4. 3.4 16km SSW of Tehachapi, CA
  5. 1.8 12km SE of Bodfish, CA
  6. 2.3 22km ESE of Bodfish, CA
  7. 1.9 18km WSW of Lamont, CA
  8. 3.6 32km ESE of Lake Isabella, CA
  9. 1.6 13km ESE of Tehachapi, CA
  10. 1.7 14km ESE of Wofford Heights, CA
  11. 2.4 20km SSW of Lamont, CA
  12. 1.5 14km ESE of Wofford Heights, CA
  13. 2.6 14km ENE of Lake Isabella, CA
  14. 1.7 13km SE of Bodfish, CA
  15. 1.6 14km ESE of Wofford Heights, 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.