Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.9md
Earthquake near Shandon, CA
USGS: 12 km NE of Shandon, California
- When
- 2:58 am PDT on 15 September 2016 ()
- Where
- 12 km (8 mi) NE of Shandon, CA · earthquakes near Shandon
- Magnitude
- M 1.9 (md)
- Depth
- 6.3 km below the surface
- Felt
- 1 report · strongest reported intensity II
- Nearest
- San Luis Obispo County, 41 km SSW
- Nearest mapped fault
- San Andreas fault, under 1 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 3521 days ago
A magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 12 km (8 mi) NE of Shandon, CA, at 2:58 am PDT on 15 September 2016 (09:58 UTC). 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS. This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 19 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 810,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 580,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 51× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 1.9 about 19 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 lists 12 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 6.5 1922 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 3 km ENE of this epicentre
- 6.4 1901 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 35 km NNW of this epicentre
- 6.0 2004 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 12 km NW of this epicentre
- 5.8 1934 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 37 km WNW of this epicentre
- 5.6 8 km SW of Huron, California · 47 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 35.7347, -120.2833. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 41 km (26 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County |
| Kings County, CA | 56 km (35 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Kings County |
| Monterey County, CA | 109 km (67 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Monterey County |
| San Benito County, CA | 121 km (75 mi) | NW | earthquakes near San Benito County |
| Fresno County, CA | 127 km (79 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Fresno 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.
- 1.9 24 km S of Kettleman City, California
- 1.6 3 km SSE of Avenal, California
- 2.1 5 km SW of Templeton, California
- 1.5 2 km SE of Avenal, California
- 1.6 22 km NW of Parkfield, California
- 2.2 20 km NW of Parkfield, California
- 2.8 1 km SSE of Avenal, California
- 1.6 2 km S of Avenal, California
- 2.3 4 km S of Avenal, California
- 1.5 5 km E of Santa Margarita, California
- 1.6 3 km SSE of Avenal, California
- 1.5 2 km S of Avenal, California
- 1.7 3 km ESE of Avenal, California
- 1.7 3 km E of Avenal, California
- 1.5 3 km E of Avenal, 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.