QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5md

Earthquake near Coalinga, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Coalinga in the 24 hours to 5:00 am PST (13:00 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 4 km (3 mi) SE, at 1:44 am PDT on 4 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Coalinga

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) east of Coalinga, CA, at 1:01 pm PST on 2 February 2018 (21:01 UTC), 11 km deep. 4 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 12km E of Coalinga, CA

81 km (51 mi) SSW of Fresno, CA · 55 km (34 mi) WSW of Hanford, CA

1:01 pm PST, Feb 2, 2018 · · 11 km deep · released about 190 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kings County 38 kmSan Luis Obispo County 86 kmFresno County 86 kmSan Benito County 93 kmMonterey County 98 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
1:01 pm PST on 2 February 2018 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) east of Coalinga, CA · earthquakes near Coalinga
Magnitude
M 2.5 (md)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
4 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Kings County, 38 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Great Valley thrust fault system, 8 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 3200 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In Coalinga, 12 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: Coalinga 12 km, intensity II · Huron 13 km, intensity II · Avenal 17 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 190 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 78,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 55,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 190 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 17 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 The 1983 Coalinga, California Earthquake · 13 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 1922 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 43 km S of this epicentre
  3. 6.4 1901 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 29 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 2004 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 38 km SSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.6 8 km SW of Huron, California · 6 km E 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 36.1398, -120.2272. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kings County, CA 38 km (23 mi) ESE earthquakes near Kings County
San Luis Obispo County, CA 86 km (53 mi) SSW earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County
Fresno County, CA 86 km (53 mi) NE earthquakes near Fresno County
San Benito County, CA 93 km (58 mi) NW earthquakes near San Benito County
Monterey County, CA 98 km (61 mi) W earthquakes near Monterey County
Merced County, CA 125 km (78 mi) NNW earthquakes near Merced 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. 1.9 10km SW of Huron, CA
  2. 1.6 8km NE of Coalinga, CA
  3. 3.0 23km NNE of San Ardo, CA
  4. 2.5 11km E of Coalinga, CA
  5. 1.6 11km E of Coalinga, CA
  6. 1.7 6km WSW of Huron, CA
  7. 1.7 6km SW of Huron, CA
  8. 1.5 24km ENE of San Lucas, CA
  9. 1.6 22km NNE of San Ardo, CA
  10. 1.8 2km SSW of Huron, CA
  11. 2.2 14km NNW of Coalinga, CA
  12. 1.6 13km SW of Huron, CA
  13. 3.0 12km SW of Huron, CA
  14. 1.6 14km NNW of Avenal, CA
  15. 1.7 5km WSW of Huron, 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.