Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.9md
Earthquake near Merced, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Merced in the 24 hours to 2:35 pm PST (22:35 UTC). The last one was M 5.7, 260 km (162 mi) NNE, at 6:29 pm PDT on 13 April 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 6,515 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Merced
This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) east of Merced, CA, at 2:10 am PST on 21 February 2018 (10:10 UTC), 15 km deep. 146 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 12km SSW of Bootjack, CA
66 km (41 mi) NNW of Fresno, CA · 46 km (29 mi) NNE of Madera, CA
- When
- 2:10 am PST on 21 February 2018 ()
- Where
- 48 km (30 mi) east of Merced, CA · earthquakes near Merced
- Magnitude
- M 2.9 (md)
- Depth
- 15 km below the surface
- Felt
- 146 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- Mariposa County, 24 km N
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3185 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Merced, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Merced, 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 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 30 km (19 mi) from the epicentre. In Merced, 48 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: Mariposa 14 km, intensity II · Yosemite Lakes 25 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 750 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 20,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 14,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.3× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.9 about 750 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 37.3635, -119.9477. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mariposa County, CA | 24 km (15 mi) | N | earthquakes near Mariposa County |
| Madera County, CA | 24 km (15 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Madera County |
| Merced County, CA | 71 km (44 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Merced County |
| Fresno County, CA | 72 km (45 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Fresno County |
| Tuolumne County, CA | 73 km (45 mi) | N | earthquakes near Tuolumne County |
| Stanislaus County, CA | 96 km (59 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Stanislaus County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
45 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.3 19km WNW of Yosemite Lakes, CA
- 1.8 3km W of Madera Acres, CA
- 2.3 6km W of Madera, CA
- 1.7 10km W of Ahwahnee, CA
- 1.6 2km NW of Oakhurst, CA
- 2.6 17km SSW of Bootjack, CA
- 1.8 17km SSW of Bootjack, CA
- 2.1 16km SSW of Bootjack, CA
- 1.6 17km SSW of Bootjack, CA
- 1.9 17km SSW of Bootjack, CA
- 1.9 12km NNE of North Fork, CA
- 2.1 2km E of Parkwood, CA
- 2.0 11km SSW of Mariposa, CA
- 1.6 22km NE of Ahwahnee, CA
- 2.3 9km NNE of Oakhurst, 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.