Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.0md
Earthquake near Phoenix Lake, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Phoenix Lake in the 24 hours to 4:58 am PST (12:58 UTC). The last one was M 5.2, 181 km (113 mi) NE, at 1:17 am PDT on 1 May 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,875 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Phoenix Lake
This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 33 km (20 mi) southeast of Phoenix Lake, CA, at 11:47 pm PDT on 20 October 2016 (06:47 UTC), 33 km deep.
USGS: 2 km SE of Buck Meadows, California
- When
- 11:47 pm PDT on 20 October 2016 ()
- Where
- 33 km (20 mi) southeast of Phoenix Lake, CA · earthquakes near Phoenix Lake
- Magnitude
- M 2.0 (md)
- Depth
- 33 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Tuolumne County, 26 km NNE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3562 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Phoenix Lake, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Phoenix Lake, CA. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.
At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Phoenix Lake, 33 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Tuolumne City, Soulsbyville, Midpines.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 26 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 580,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 410,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 36× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.0 about 26 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 37.7945, -120.0447. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuolumne County, CA | 26 km (16 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Tuolumne County |
| Mariposa County, CA | 27 km (17 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Mariposa County |
| Calaveras County, CA | 63 km (39 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Calaveras County |
| Madera County, CA | 70 km (44 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Madera County |
| Stanislaus County, CA | 88 km (55 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Stanislaus County |
| Merced County, CA | 90 km (56 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Merced County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
33 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 3.0 13km S of Mariposa, CA
- 1.6 10km S of Bootjack, CA
- 1.6 10km S of Bootjack, CA
- 1.9 3km WNW of Chinese Camp, CA
- 2.3 14km S of Groveland-Big Oak Flat, CA
- 2.0 9km SW of Mariposa, CA
- 2.0 11km SSW of Mariposa, CA
- 1.6 4km ESE of Mariposa, CA
- 1.7 4 km SSE of Vallecito, California
- 1.5 Northern California
- 1.5 4 km WNW of Tuttletown, California
- 2.0 10km NW of Midpines, CA
- 1.5 4 km ESE of Vallecito, California
- 1.6 2 km ESE of Vallecito, California
- 2.0 11km SSW of Bootjack, 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.