Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.8md
Earthquake near Merced, CA
USGS: 13 km SE of Catheys Valley, California
66 km (41 mi) NNW of Fresno, CA · 44 km (27 mi) E of Merced, CA
- When
- 11:37 am PDT on 5 May 2016 ()
- Where
- 45 km (28 mi) E of Merced, CA · earthquakes near Merced
- Magnitude
- M 1.8 (md)
- Depth
- 17 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Mariposa County, 25 km NNE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3522 days ago
A magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 45 km (28 mi) E of Merced, CA, at 11:37 am PDT on 5 May 2016 (18:37 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Mariposa, Midpines, Ahwahnee, Yosemite Lakes, Coarsegold, Le Grand.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 14 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,100,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 790,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 70× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 1.8 about 14 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 37.3562, -119.9828. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mariposa County, CA | 25 km (16 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Mariposa County |
| Madera County, CA | 26 km (16 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Madera County |
| Merced County, CA | 68 km (42 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Merced County |
| Fresno County, CA | 72 km (45 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Fresno County |
| Tuolumne County, CA | 74 km (46 mi) | N | earthquakes near Tuolumne County |
| Stanislaus County, CA | 93 km (58 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Stanislaus County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
50 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.0 13km NW of Yosemite Lakes, CA
- 2.6 10km NNW of Yosemite Lakes, CA
- 1.9 8km SSW of Bootjack, CA
- 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
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.