QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Bakersfield, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Bakersfield in the 24 hours to 7:03 am PST (15:03 UTC). The last one was M 2.8, 21 km (13 mi) S, at 2:35 am PDT on 29 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Bakersfield

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 32 km (20 mi) south of Bakersfield, CA, at 10:17 pm PDT on 26 August 2025 (05:17 UTC), 11 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 20 km NW of Grapevine, CA

29 km (18 mi) S of Bakersfield, CA · 133 km (82 mi) NNW of Los Angeles, CA

10:17 pm PDT, Aug 26, 2025 · · 11 km deep · released about 5.7 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Bakersfield Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kern County 41 kmVentura County 81 kmSanta Barbara County 109 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
10:17 pm PDT on 26 August 2025 ()
Where
32 km (20 mi) south of Bakersfield, CA · earthquakes near Bakersfield
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Kern County, 41 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Wheeler Ridge 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 442 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Bakersfield, 32 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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: Weedpatch, Lamont, Arvin, Pine Mountain Club.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.7 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 170× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.7 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 5.2 on 2024-08-07 — about 350,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 22 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.5 The 1952 Kern County, California Earthquake · 15 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 Tejon Pass, California · 25 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 Near Bakersfield, California · 33 km NE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 13km WNW of Grapevine, CA · 13 km S of this epicentre
  5. 5.7 11km N of Lamont, CA · 33 km NNE 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 35.0885, -119.0525. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kern County, CA 41 km (26 mi) NE earthquakes near Kern County
Ventura County, CA 81 km (51 mi) S earthquakes near Ventura County
Santa Barbara County, CA 109 km (68 mi) SW earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
Los Angeles County, CA 123 km (76 mi) SE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Kings County, CA 129 km (80 mi) NNW earthquakes near Kings 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. 1.5 19 km WSW of Lamont, CA
  2. 1.6 16 km SE of Maricopa, CA
  3. 1.7 18 km S of Maricopa, CA
  4. 2.7 9 km WSW of Grapevine, CA
  5. 2.1 10 km NNW of Grapevine, CA
  6. 1.5 9 km NNE of Pine Mountain Club, CA
  7. 2.4 10 km NNE of Pine Mountain Club, CA
  8. 1.6 24 km NW of Grapevine, CA
  9. 1.7 23 km SSW of Frazier Park, CA
  10. 1.5 13 km NE of Maricopa, CA
  11. 2.8 7 km NNE of Taft, CA
  12. 2.1 16 km N of Grapevine, CA
  13. 2.6 22 km SSW of Frazier Park, CA
  14. 1.5 20 km NW of Tehachapi, CA
  15. 1.8 19 km NW of Tehachapi, 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.