Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.8mh
Earthquake near Merced, CA
USGS: 12 km SSE of Catheys Valley, California
64 km (40 mi) NNW of Fresno, CA · 40 km (25 mi) E of Merced, CA
- When
- 9:06 pm PST on 4 January 2016 ()
- Where
- 40 km (25 mi) E of Merced, CA · earthquakes near Merced
- Magnitude
- M 2.8 (mh)
- Depth
- 20 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Madera County, 28 km ESE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3522 days ago
A magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 40 km (25 mi) E of Merced, CA, at 9:06 pm PST on 4 January 2016 (05:06 UTC). This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Mariposa, Le Grand, Planada, Midpines, Ahwahnee, Yosemite Lakes.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 480 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 32,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 22,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.8 about 480 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 37.3300, -120.0315. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madera County, CA | 28 km (18 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Madera County |
| Mariposa County, CA | 29 km (18 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Mariposa County |
| Merced County, CA | 63 km (39 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Merced County |
| Fresno County, CA | 72 km (44 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Fresno County |
| Tuolumne County, CA | 77 km (48 mi) | N | earthquakes near Tuolumne County |
| Stanislaus County, CA | 90 km (56 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Stanislaus County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
57 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.7 10km NE of Ahwahnee, CA
- 1.6 15km SSW of Bootjack, CA
- 2.0 14km SSW of Mariposa, CA
- 1.9 12km ENE of Oakhurst, CA
- 1.9 12km ENE of Oakhurst, CA
- 1.6 14km S of Mariposa, CA
- 2.9 12km SSW of Bootjack, CA
- 2.3 9km NW of Mariposa, CA
- 2.5 12km N of Friant, CA
- 2.1 16km WSW of Ahwahnee, CA
- 1.8 3km SSW of Oakhurst, CA
- 2.1 5km ESE of Oakhurst, CA
- 2.1 4 km WNW of Mariposa, California
- 2.2 6 km ESE of Coulterville, California
- 1.6 5 km SSE of Fish Camp, California
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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.