QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Huron, CA

USGS: 5 km SSE of Huron, California

74 km (46 mi) SSW of Fresno, CA · 44 km (27 mi) WSW of Hanford, CA

7:42 pm PDT, Oct 1, 2016 · · 7.0 km deep · released about 18 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kings County 27 kmFresno County 78 kmSan Luis Obispo County 91 kmSan Benito County 102 kmMonterey County 110 kmTulare County 118 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
7:42 pm PDT on 1 October 2016 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) S of Huron, CA · earthquakes near Huron
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
7.0 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Kings County, 27 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Great Valley thrust fault system, 2 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 5 km (3 mi) S of Huron, CA, at 7:42 pm PDT on 1 October 2016 (02:42 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Avenal, Kettleman City, Lemoore Station, Coalinga, Stratford.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 18 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.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 840,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 600,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 53× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 18 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 15 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 The 1983 Coalinga, California Earthquake · 21 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 1922 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 48 km SSW of this epicentre
  3. 6.4 1901 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 41 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 2004 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 45 km SSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.6 8 km SW of Huron, California · 6 km WSW 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 36.1583, -120.0920. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kings County, CA 27 km (17 mi) ESE earthquakes near Kings County
Fresno County, CA 78 km (48 mi) NNE earthquakes near Fresno County
San Luis Obispo County, CA 91 km (57 mi) SSW earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County
San Benito County, CA 102 km (64 mi) WNW earthquakes near San Benito County
Monterey County, CA 110 km (68 mi) W earthquakes near Monterey County
Tulare County, CA 118 km (73 mi) E earthquakes near Tulare County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 3 km SSE of Avenal, California
  2. 1.5 6 km NW of Avenal, California
  3. 2.1 12 km SW of Huron, California
  4. 1.9 3 km S of Avenal, California
  5. 1.6 3 km SSE of Avenal, California
  6. 1.9 12 km SW of Huron, California
  7. 1.8 11 km E of Coalinga, California
  8. 1.7 11 km ENE of Coalinga, California
  9. 1.9 20 km NW of Parkfield, California
  10. 1.7 20 km NNE of Coalinga, California
  11. 2.5 25 km NW of Parkfield, California
  12. 2.2 12 km NW of Parkfield, California
  13. 2.4 4 km SW of Stratford, California
  14. 2.4 20 km NW of Parkfield, California
  15. 2.4 22 km NW of Parkfield, 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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.