QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Bodfish, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Bodfish in the 24 hours to 10:41 am PST (18:41 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 1.9 earthquake was recorded 12 km (8 mi) south-southeast of Bodfish, CA, at 6:20 am PST on 12 December 2024 (14:20 UTC), 2.3 km deep.

USGS: 12 km SSE of Bodfish, CA

56 km (35 mi) ENE of Bakersfield, CA

6:20 am PST, Dec 12, 2024 · · 2.3 km deep · released about 23 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kern County 30 kmTulare County 88 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
6:20 am PST on 12 December 2024 ()
Where
12 km (8 mi) south-southeast of Bodfish, CA · earthquakes near Bodfish
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
2.3 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Kern County, 30 km WSW
Nearest mapped fault
Kern Canyon fault, 7 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 700 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 15 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Bodfish, 12 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 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 23 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 660,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 470,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 42× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 23 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 4.3 on 2024-04-18 — about 4,000 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 · 38 km WSW 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 · 46 km SE of this epicentre
  4. 5.6 19km N of Tehachapi, CA · 20 km S of this epicentre
  5. 5.6 14km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · 27 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 35.4838, -118.4437. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kern County, CA 30 km (19 mi) WSW earthquakes near Kern County
Tulare County, CA 88 km (55 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tulare County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 22 km NNW of Tehachapi, CA
  2. 2.7 22 km NNW of Tehachapi, CA
  3. 1.9 24 km ENE of Arvin, CA
  4. 1.8 24 km NNW of Tehachapi, CA
  5. 1.5 14 km W of Mojave, CA
  6. 1.8 20 km NNE of Arvin, CA
  7. 1.8 16 km ESE of Lake Isabella, CA
  8. 1.9 1 km NE of Kernville, CA
  9. 1.8 1 km NNE of Kernville, CA
  10. 2.1 24 km NNW of Tehachapi, CA
  11. 1.6 23 km ENE of Arvin, CA
  12. 1.5 16 km NNW of Tehachapi, CA
  13. 1.9 4 km N of Lake Isabella, CA
  14. 1.8 21 km NNW of Tehachapi, CA
  15. 1.5 8 km E of Bakersfield, 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.