QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

Earthquake near Gerber, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Gerber in the 24 hours to 10:16 pm PST (06:16 UTC). The last one was M 4.0, 92 km (57 mi) SW, at 5:01 am PDT on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 14 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Gerber

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) east-northeast of Gerber, CA, at 7:33 pm PDT on 18 October 2020 (02:33 UTC), 62 km deep.

USGS: 2km ENE of Gerber, CA

43 km (27 mi) NW of Chico, CA

7:33 pm PDT, Oct 18, 2020 · · 62 km deep · released about 110 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Tehama County 11 kmGlenn County 57 kmButte County 63 kmShasta County 77 kmColusa County 99 kmTrinity County 106 kmYuba County 111 kmPlumas County 111 kmLake County 119 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
7:33 pm PDT on 18 October 2020 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) east-northeast of Gerber, CA · earthquakes near Gerber
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
62 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Tehama County, 11 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2212 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 Gerber, 2 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: Los Molinos, Red Bluff, Corning, Rancho Tehama Reserve.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 110 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 140,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 99,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 8.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 110 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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 40.0675, -122.1273. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Tehama County, CA 11 km (7 mi) NW earthquakes near Tehama County
Glenn County, CA 57 km (35 mi) SSW earthquakes near Glenn County
Butte County, CA 63 km (39 mi) SE earthquakes near Butte County
Shasta County, CA 77 km (48 mi) N earthquakes near Shasta County
Colusa County, CA 99 km (62 mi) S earthquakes near Colusa County
Trinity County, CA 106 km (66 mi) NW earthquakes near Trinity County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 11km S of Manton, CA
  2. 2.7 31km NW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, CA
  3. 1.8 18km NNE of Red Bluff, CA
  4. 2.7 2km NW of Chico, CA
  5. 1.7 11km SE of Millville, CA
  6. 2.5 14km ENE of Red Bluff, CA
  7. 1.5 18km ESE of Anderson, CA
  8. 2.6 12km W of Shingletown, CA
  9. 1.9 17km WSW of Manton, CA
  10. 2.6 12km S of Hamilton City, CA
  11. 2.7 5km N of Hamilton City, CA
  12. 2.2 15km SW of Orland, CA
  13. 1.8 24km S of Manton, CA
  14. 1.6 16km SSE of Manton, CA
  15. 1.7 11km W of Shingletown, 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.