Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.3md
Earthquake near Fresno, CA
USGS: 10 km NNW of Squaw Valley, California
46 km (28 mi) E of Fresno, CA · 35 km (22 mi) E of Clovis, CA
- When
- 5:50 pm PST on 20 February 2016 ()
- Where
- 44 km (28 mi) ENE of Fresno, CA · earthquakes near Fresno
- Magnitude
- M 2.3 (md)
- Depth
- 33 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Fresno County, 34 km WSW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3522 days ago
A magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 44 km (28 mi) ENE of Fresno, CA, at 5:50 pm PST on 20 February 2016 (01:50 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Yokuts Valley, Minkler, Orange Cove, Sanger, Reedley.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 79 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 190,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 12× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.3 about 79 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 36.8283, -119.2843. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno County, CA | 34 km (21 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Fresno County |
| Madera County, CA | 59 km (37 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Madera County |
| Tulare County, CA | 80 km (50 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Tulare County |
| Kings County, CA | 97 km (60 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Kings County |
| Mariposa County, CA | 100 km (62 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Mariposa County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
45 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.5 20km NE of Shaver Lake, CA
- 3.2 5km ESE of Shaver Lake, CA
- 2.2 11km W of Squaw Valley, CA
- 2.1 6km SSE of Shaver Lake, CA
- 2.2 10km WSW of Squaw Valley, CA
- 2.4 11km WSW of Squaw Valley, CA
- 2.0 14km E of North Fork, CA
- 2.1 7km SSE of Shaver Lake, CA
- 2.3 6km S of Shaver Lake, CA
- 2.2 6km W of Squaw Valley, CA
- 2.2 5km N of Shaver Lake, CA
- 2.1 9km N of Clovis, CA
- 2.2 8km SSE of Friant, CA
- 2.2 10km SE of Friant, CA
- 2.0 8km N of Clovis, 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
- 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.