QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Hayfork, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Hayfork in the 24 hours to 8:37 pm PST (04:37 UTC). The last one was M 3.7, 42 km (26 mi) W, at 2:44 pm PDT on 7 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 15 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Hayfork

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 49 km (30 mi) south of Hayfork, CA, at 12:40 pm PDT on 28 August 2017 (19:40 UTC), 31 km deep.

USGS: 19 km SSE of Ruth, California

12:40 pm PDT, Aug 28, 2017 · · 31 km deep · released about 31 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Trinity County 59 kmMendocino County 79 kmTehama County 83 kmHumboldt County 89 kmGlenn County 90 kmLake County 119 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
12:40 pm PDT on 28 August 2017 ()
Where
49 km (30 mi) south of Hayfork, CA · earthquakes near Hayfork
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
31 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Trinity County, 59 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Bartlett Springs fault system, 18 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 3361 days ago

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 Hayfork, 49 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 31 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.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 480,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 340,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 31× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 31 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.5 on 2016-08-28 — about 5,200 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.5 33 km NW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, California · 43 km ENE 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 40.1177, -123.2087. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Trinity County, CA 59 km (37 mi) N earthquakes near Trinity County
Mendocino County, CA 79 km (49 mi) SSW earthquakes near Mendocino County
Tehama County, CA 83 km (52 mi) E earthquakes near Tehama County
Humboldt County, CA 89 km (56 mi) NW earthquakes near Humboldt County
Glenn County, CA 90 km (56 mi) SE earthquakes near Glenn County
Lake County, CA 119 km (74 mi) SSE earthquakes near Lake County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 16km NNW of Covelo, CA
  2. 1.8 9km NNE of Laytonville, CA
  3. 1.5 34km WNW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, CA
  4. 1.9 37km W of Rancho Tehama Reserve, CA
  5. 1.7 38km NNW of Alder Springs, CA
  6. 1.9 28km NW of Alder Springs, CA
  7. 2.4 41km NE of Covelo, CA
  8. 1.9 32km NNW of Alder Springs, CA
  9. 1.6 32km NNW of Alder Springs, CA
  10. 1.8 39km NE of Covelo, CA
  11. 1.6 39km NE of Covelo, CA
  12. 1.7 39km NE of Covelo, CA
  13. 2.8 40km NE of Covelo, CA
  14. 2.5 4km E of Covelo, CA
  15. 1.7 36km NNW of Alder Springs, 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

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