QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.3mw

Earthquake near Bodfish, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Bodfish in the 24 hours to 4:36 am PST (12:36 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 4.3 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) south of Bodfish, CA, at 12:19 pm PDT on 18 April 2024 (19:19 UTC), 3.2 km deep. 814 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 11 km S of Bodfish, CA

50 km (31 mi) ENE of Bakersfield, CA

12:19 pm PDT, Apr 18, 2024 · · 3.2 km deep · released about 46 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kern County 25 kmTulare County 85 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
12:19 pm PDT on 18 April 2024 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) south of Bodfish, CA · earthquakes near Bodfish
Magnitude
M 4.3 (mw)
Depth
3.2 km below the surface
Felt
814 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Measured shaking
intensity V (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Kern County, 25 km SW
Nearest mapped fault
Kern Canyon fault, under 1 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 222 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 123 km (76 mi) from the epicentre. In Bodfish, 11 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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 IV · Wofford Heights 24 km, intensity III · Tehachapi 41 km, intensity III · Arvin 43 km, intensity III · Lamont 45 km, intensity III · Oildale 47 km, intensity III · Bakersfield 48 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 46 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 3,700× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 170× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 120× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.3 about 46 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 95× 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 (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. The previous largest was M 4.0 on 2021-08-27.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.8 Near Bakersfield, California · 34 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 5.7 11km N of Lamont, CA · 38 km WSW of this epicentre
  3. 5.6 19km N of Tehachapi, CA · 21 km S of this epicentre
  4. 5.6 14km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · 27 km S of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 6km SSE of Arvin, CA · 45 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 35.4930, -118.5130. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kern County, CA 25 km (16 mi) SW earthquakes near Kern County
Tulare County, CA 85 km (53 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tulare County
Kings County, CA 134 km (83 mi) WNW earthquakes near Kings County
Inyo County, CA 155 km (96 mi) NE earthquakes near Inyo County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 11 km SSW of Bodfish, CA
  2. 1.6 12 km NW of Kernville, CA
  3. 1.6 4 km SE of Kernville, CA
  4. 2.0 9 km SE of Bodfish, CA
  5. 2.1 22 km NE of Arvin, CA
  6. 1.6 20 km SE of Arvin, CA
  7. 1.6 11 km SSW of Bodfish, CA
  8. 1.6 11 km S of Bodfish, CA
  9. 1.6 20 km SE of Arvin, CA
  10. 2.2 21 km ESE of Bodfish, CA
  11. 1.5 23 km S of Bodfish, CA
  12. 1.9 4 km N of Lake Isabella, CA
  13. 1.6 20 km SSE of Bodfish, CA
  14. 1.9 6 km ESE of Wofford Heights, CA
  15. 1.6 7 km ENE of Lake Isabella, 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.