QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Mammoth Lakes, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Mammoth Lakes in the 24 hours to 11:34 am PST (19:34 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 26 km (16 mi) SSE, at 3:54 am PDT on 24 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Mammoth Lakes

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 50 km (31 mi) northeast of Mammoth Lakes, CA, at 6:22 pm PDT on 18 August 2017 (01:22 UTC), 6.3 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 14 km NNW of Benton, California

6:22 pm PDT, Aug 18, 2017 · · 6.3 km deep · released about 85 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Mammoth Lakes Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mono County 30 kmMineral County 65 kmEsmeralda County 81 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
6:22 pm PDT on 18 August 2017 ()
Where
50 km (31 mi) northeast of Mammoth Lakes, CA · earthquakes near Mammoth Lakes
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
6.3 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Mono County, 30 km W
Nearest mapped fault
White Mountains fault, 6 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 3056 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 19 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Mammoth Lakes, 50 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 85 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 11× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 85 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 51 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1986 Chalfant Valley, California Earthquake · 45 km S of this epicentre
  2. 6.3 The 1934 Excelsior Mountains, Nevada Earthquake · 41 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 Near Tonopah Junction, Nevada · 48 km E of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 11 km WNW of Aspen Springs, California · 46 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 8 km W of Aspen Springs, California · 49 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 37.9360, -118.5367. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mono County, CA 30 km (19 mi) W earthquakes near Mono County
Mineral County, NV 65 km (41 mi) N earthquakes near Mineral County
Esmeralda County, NV 81 km (51 mi) ESE earthquakes near Esmeralda County
Alpine County, CA 134 km (83 mi) NW earthquakes near Alpine County
Madera County, CA 134 km (83 mi) SW earthquakes near Madera County
Douglas County, NV 143 km (89 mi) NW earthquakes near Douglas County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 9 km W of Aspen Springs, California
  2. 1.6 8 km WNW of Aspen Springs, California
  3. 1.7 11 km WNW of Aspen Springs, California
  4. 1.6 10 km W of Aspen Springs, California
  5. 2.0 California-Nevada border region
  6. 3.0 11 km WNW of Aspen Springs, California
  7. 1.6 12 km E of Mammoth Lakes, California
  8. 2.2 2 km ESE of Mammoth Lakes, California
  9. 1.6 11 km WNW of Aspen Springs, California
  10. 1.9 10 km W of Aspen Springs, California
  11. 1.5 10 km W of Aspen Springs, California
  12. 1.6 14km SE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  13. 2.0 13 km NNW of Benton, California
  14. 1.5 33 km N of Dyer, Nevada
  15. 2.5 6 km NE of June Lake, 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.