QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6md

Earthquake near Huron, CA

USGS: 1 km W of Huron, California

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

6:00 am PDT, Oct 16, 2016 · · 15 km deep · released about 260 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kings County 31 kmFresno County 75 kmSan Luis Obispo County 95 kmSan Benito County 97 kmMonterey County 107 kmMadera County 117 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
6:00 am PDT on 16 October 2016 ()
Where
in Huron, CA · earthquakes near Huron
Magnitude
M 2.6 (md)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Kings County, 31 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Great Valley thrust fault system, 4 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 2.6 earthquake was recorded in Huron, CA, at 6:00 am PDT on 16 October 2016 (13:00 UTC). 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS. 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: Lemoore Station, Avenal, Coalinga, Kettleman City, Stratford.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 260 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 59,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 42,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.7× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 260 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 14 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 The 1983 Coalinga, California Earthquake · 17 km W of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 1901 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 41 km WSW of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 2004 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 48 km SSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.6 8 km SW of Huron, California · 7 km SSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 1966 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 48 km SSW 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 36.2042, -120.1225. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kings County, CA 31 km (19 mi) ESE earthquakes near Kings County
Fresno County, CA 75 km (46 mi) NE earthquakes near Fresno County
San Luis Obispo County, CA 95 km (59 mi) SSW earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County
San Benito County, CA 97 km (61 mi) WNW earthquakes near San Benito County
Monterey County, CA 107 km (67 mi) W earthquakes near Monterey County
Madera County, CA 117 km (72 mi) NNE earthquakes near Madera County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 3 km SE of Avenal, California
  2. 1.5 3 km SE of Avenal, California
  3. 1.8 23 km NW of Parkfield, California
  4. 2.1 9 km WNW of Lemoore Station, California
  5. 1.7 3 km SSE of Avenal, California
  6. 1.5 6 km NW of Avenal, California
  7. 2.1 12 km SW of Huron, California
  8. 1.9 3 km S of Avenal, California
  9. 1.6 3 km SSE of Avenal, California
  10. 1.9 12 km SW of Huron, California
  11. 1.8 11 km E of Coalinga, California
  12. 1.7 11 km ENE of Coalinga, California
  13. 1.9 20 km NW of Parkfield, California
  14. 1.7 20 km NNE of Coalinga, California
  15. 2.5 25 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.