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 11:47 am PST (19:47 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 38 km (23 mi) south of Hayfork, CA, at 8:39 am PDT on 23 August 2018 (15:39 UTC), 36 km deep.

USGS: 38km S of Hayfork, CA

8:39 am PDT, Aug 23, 2018 · · 36 km deep · released about 32 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Trinity County 48 kmTehama County 79 kmHumboldt County 85 kmMendocino County 91 kmGlenn County 93 kmShasta County 111 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
8:39 am PDT on 23 August 2018 ()
Where
38 km (23 mi) south of Hayfork, CA · earthquakes near Hayfork
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
36 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Trinity County, 48 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Bartlett Springs fault system, 23 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 3003 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, 38 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 32 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 5.8 470,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 330,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 30× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 32 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 5,100 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 · 37 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 40.2165, -123.1493. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Trinity County, CA 48 km (30 mi) N earthquakes near Trinity County
Tehama County, CA 79 km (49 mi) E earthquakes near Tehama County
Humboldt County, CA 85 km (53 mi) NW earthquakes near Humboldt County
Mendocino County, CA 91 km (56 mi) SSW earthquakes near Mendocino County
Glenn County, CA 93 km (58 mi) SE earthquakes near Glenn County
Shasta County, CA 111 km (69 mi) ENE earthquakes near Shasta County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 37km SSE of Hayfork, CA
  2. 1.5 41km NE of Covelo, CA
  3. 1.9 21km W of Rancho Tehama Reserve, CA
  4. 1.7 8km ENE of Covelo, CA
  5. 2.0 11km WNW of Hayfork, CA
  6. 2.0 11km WNW of Hayfork, CA
  7. 1.6 24km W of Rancho Tehama Reserve, CA
  8. 2.6 17km SSE of Hayfork, CA
  9. 2.0 42km N of Covelo, CA
  10. 1.6 30km NE of Covelo, CA
  11. 1.7 30km NE of Covelo, CA
  12. 1.5 28km NNE of Redway, CA
  13. 1.7 36km NNW of Alder Springs, CA
  14. 1.6 34km WNW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, CA
  15. 1.5 36km N of Covelo, 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.