QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Avenal, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Avenal in the 24 hours to 8:24 am PST (16:24 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 7 km (4 mi) NW, at 12:34 am PDT on 18 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Avenal

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 7 km (5 mi) north-northwest of Avenal, CA, at 12:56 am PDT on 28 June 2018 (07:56 UTC), 10 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7km NNW of Avenal, CA

86 km (54 mi) SSW of Fresno, CA · 54 km (33 mi) WSW of Hanford, CA

12:56 am PDT, Jun 28, 2018 · · 10 km deep · released about 19 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kings County 31 kmSan Luis Obispo County 80 kmFresno County 90 kmSan Benito County 103 kmMonterey County 106 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
12:56 am PDT on 28 June 2018 ()
Where
7 km (5 mi) north-northwest of Avenal, CA · earthquakes near Avenal
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports
Nearest
Kings County, 31 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Great Valley thrust fault system, 7 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 1557 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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Avenal, 7 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: Avenal 7 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 19 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 790,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 560,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 50× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 19 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 · 23 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 1922 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 36 km SSW of this epicentre
  3. 6.4 1901 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 31 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 2004 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 33 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.6 8 km SW of Huron, California · 9 km N 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 36.0653, -120.1592. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kings County, CA 31 km (19 mi) E earthquakes near Kings County
San Luis Obispo County, CA 80 km (50 mi) SSW earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County
Fresno County, CA 90 km (56 mi) NNE earthquakes near Fresno County
San Benito County, CA 103 km (64 mi) NW earthquakes near San Benito County
Monterey County, CA 106 km (66 mi) W earthquakes near Monterey 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. 2.0 25km NW of Parkfield, CA
  2. 1.6 18km NW of Coalinga, CA
  3. 1.5 23km S of Kettleman City, CA
  4. 1.8 12km SE of Huron, CA
  5. 1.9 7km W of Kettleman City, CA
  6. 2.1 14km NW of Parkfield, CA
  7. 1.5 18km NW of Parkfield, CA
  8. 1.6 13km NNW of Avenal, CA
  9. 1.6 10km NW of Avenal, CA
  10. 2.0 14km NW of Parkfield, CA
  11. 2.0 14km NW of Parkfield, CA
  12. 1.9 23km NW of Parkfield, CA
  13. 2.1 17km SSE of Cantua Creek, CA
  14. 2.0 9km NNW of Avenal, CA
  15. 1.6 7km NNW of Avenal, 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.