QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Mojave, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Mojave in the 24 hours to 7:06 am PST (15:06 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 44 km (27 mi) NE, at 8:01 am PDT on 23 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Mojave

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) north of Mojave, CA, at 9:05 pm PDT on 2 May 2025 (04:05 UTC), 2.3 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 16 km N of Mojave, CA

56 km (35 mi) N of Lancaster, CA · 133 km (83 mi) N of Los Angeles, CA

9:05 pm PDT, May 2, 2025 · · 2.3 km deep · released about 26 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Mojave Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kern County 54 kmLos Angeles County 112 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
9:05 pm PDT on 2 May 2025 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) north of Mojave, CA · earthquakes near Mojave
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
2.3 km below the surface
Felt
1 report
Nearest
Kern County, 54 km WNW
Nearest mapped fault
Southern Sierra Nevada fault, 16 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 557 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 Mojave, 16 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: California City, Tehachapi.

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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.3 on 2024-04-18 — about 3,500 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 8 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.7 12km NW of California City, California · 9 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.6 19km N of Tehachapi, CA · 30 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.6 14km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · 31 km W of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 22km N of Tehachapi, CA · 31 km WNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 25km SSW of Bodfish, CA · 41 km WNW 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 35.2007, -118.1648. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kern County, CA 54 km (33 mi) WNW earthquakes near Kern County
Los Angeles County, CA 112 km (70 mi) S earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Tulare County, CA 127 km (79 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tulare County
Ventura County, CA 129 km (80 mi) SW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 17 km WSW of Johannesburg, CA
  2. 1.7 15 km W of Johannesburg, CA
  3. 1.8 24 km NNW of Tehachapi, CA
  4. 2.7 16 km WSW of Johannesburg, CA
  5. 2.0 17 km WSW of Johannesburg, CA
  6. 2.8 16 km WSW of Johannesburg, CA
  7. 2.0 16 km WSW of Johannesburg, CA
  8. 1.8 17 km WSW of Johannesburg, CA
  9. 1.5 17 km WSW of Johannesburg, CA
  10. 1.7 4 km NW of Boron, CA
  11. 1.6 17 km WSW of Johannesburg, CA
  12. 1.6 16 km WSW of Johannesburg, CA
  13. 2.1 16 km W of Johannesburg, CA
  14. 2.4 16 km WSW of Johannesburg, CA
  15. 1.5 17 km WSW of Johannesburg, 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.