QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8md

Earthquake near Huron, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Huron in the 24 hours to 4:31 am PST (12:31 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 10 km (6 mi) SE, at 2:35 am PDT on 16 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Huron

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) south-southeast of Huron, CA, at 1:00 am PDT on 8 September 2018 (08:00 UTC), 9.5 km deep.

USGS: 7km SSE of Huron, CA

74 km (46 mi) SSW of Fresno, CA · 42 km (26 mi) WSW of Hanford, CA

1:00 am PDT, Sep 8, 2018 · · 9.5 km deep · released about 510 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kings County 24 kmFresno County 77 kmSan Luis Obispo County 92 kmSan Benito County 105 kmMonterey County 113 kmTulare County 115 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
1:00 am PDT on 8 September 2018 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) south-southeast of Huron, CA · earthquakes near Huron
Magnitude
M 2.8 (md)
Depth
9.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Kings County, 24 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Great Valley thrust fault system, 5 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 2985 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 27 km (17 mi) from the epicentre. In Huron, 7 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Huron 7 km, intensity III · Avenal 17 km, intensity II · Kettleman City 18 km, intensity II · Coalinga 27 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 510 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 30,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 21,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 510 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 15 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 The 1983 Coalinga, California Earthquake · 24 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 1922 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 48 km SSW of this epicentre
  3. 6.4 1901 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 43 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 2004 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 46 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.6 8 km SW of Huron, California · 8 km W 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 36.1525, -120.0642. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kings County, CA 24 km (15 mi) ESE earthquakes near Kings County
Fresno County, CA 77 km (48 mi) NNE earthquakes near Fresno County
San Luis Obispo County, CA 92 km (57 mi) SSW earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County
San Benito County, CA 105 km (65 mi) WNW earthquakes near San Benito County
Monterey County, CA 113 km (70 mi) W earthquakes near Monterey County
Tulare County, CA 115 km (72 mi) E earthquakes near Tulare 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 10km NE of Coalinga, CA
  2. 2.0 3km NW of Avenal, CA
  3. 1.7 6km SW of Huron, CA
  4. 2.2 13km NW of Parkfield, CA
  5. 1.9 6km WSW of Kettleman City, CA
  6. 1.5 16km NW of Parkfield, CA
  7. 1.5 16km NW of Parkfield, CA
  8. 2.5 6km SSE of Parkfield, CA
  9. 1.6 21km ENE of Cholame, CA
  10. 1.7 19km ENE of Cholame, CA
  11. 1.6 16km NW of Parkfield, CA
  12. 1.6 16km NW of Parkfield, CA
  13. 2.8 8km NE of Coalinga, CA
  14. 1.8 10km NW of Parkfield, CA
  15. 2.9 10km NW 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.