QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Cloverdale, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Cloverdale in the 24 hours to 6:53 pm PST (02:53 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 22 km (14 mi) E, at 4:44 pm PST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Cloverdale

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) northeast of Cloverdale, CA, at 1:59 am PST on 20 November 2016 (09:59 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 6 km NE of Cloverdale, California

51 km (31 mi) NNW of Santa Rosa, CA · 129 km (80 mi) NNW of San Francisco, CA

1:59 am PST, Nov 20, 2016 · · 0.6 km deep · released about 8.7 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lake County 35 kmSonoma County 36 kmNapa County 68 kmColusa County 73 kmMendocino County 76 kmMarin County 91 kmYolo County 95 kmGlenn County 97 kmSolano County 111 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
1:59 am PST on 20 November 2016 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) northeast of Cloverdale, CA · earthquakes near Cloverdale
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
0.6 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lake County, 35 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Maacama fault, 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 3561 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Cloverdale, 6 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). 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.

Likely felt in: Cloverdale 6 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.7 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,700,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,200,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 110× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.7 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.2 6 km ESE of Talmage, California · 31 km NNW 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 38.8513, -122.9720. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lake County, CA 35 km (22 mi) NE earthquakes near Lake County
Sonoma County, CA 36 km (23 mi) S earthquakes near Sonoma County
Napa County, CA 68 km (42 mi) SE earthquakes near Napa County
Colusa County, CA 73 km (45 mi) ENE earthquakes near Colusa County
Mendocino County, CA 76 km (47 mi) NNW earthquakes near Mendocino County
Marin County, CA 91 km (57 mi) SSE earthquakes near Marin County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 7 km W of Cobb, California
  2. 2.3 7 km W of Cobb, California
  3. 1.8 6 km W of Middletown, California
  4. 2.3 10 km W of Cobb, California
  5. 2.0 7 km W of Cobb, California
  6. 1.9 7 km W of Cobb, California
  7. 1.6 2 km SSW of Cobb, California
  8. 1.8 9 km W of Cobb, California
  9. 1.5 6 km SSW of Cobb, California
  10. 1.5 6 km W of Cobb, California
  11. 1.7 9 km WNW of Cobb, California
  12. 1.6 3 km SSW of Cobb, California
  13. 2.2 3 km SSW of Cobb, California
  14. 1.6 5 km W of Cobb, California
  15. 2.3 Northern 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.