QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Yreka, CA

USGS: 19km W of Macdoel, CA

5:09 am PDT, Sep 15, 2018 · · 13 km deep · released about 31 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Siskiyou County 37 kmJackson County 74 kmKlamath 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
5:09 am PDT on 15 September 2018 ()
Where
35 km (22 mi) ENE of Yreka, CA · earthquakes near Yreka
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Siskiyou County, 37 km SW
Nearest mapped fault
Cedar Mountain 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 2937 days ago

A magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 35 km (22 mi) ENE of Yreka, CA, at 5:09 am PDT on 15 September 2018 (12:09 UTC). 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS. This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Montague.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 31 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 5.8 480,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 340,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 31× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 31 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 41.8340, -122.2328. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Siskiyou County, CA 37 km (23 mi) SW earthquakes near Siskiyou County
Jackson County, OR 74 km (46 mi) NNW earthquakes near Jackson County
Klamath County, OR 106 km (66 mi) NNE earthquakes near Klamath County
Shasta County, CA 120 km (75 mi) S earthquakes near Shasta County
Josephine County, OR 126 km (79 mi) WNW earthquakes near Josephine County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 8 km SSW of Tennant, CA
  2. 1.6 10 km WSW of Klamath Falls, Oregon
  3. 1.5 22 km E of Ashland, Oregon
  4. 1.9 24 km E of Hornbrook, CA
  5. 1.6 20 km E of Hornbrook, California
  6. 1.8 18 km E of Hornbrook, California
  7. 1.6 15 km ENE of Hornbrook, California
  8. 1.8 17 km E of Carrick, CA
  9. 1.5 15 km SE of Ashland, Oregon
  10. 1.8 20 km NW of Macdoel, CA
  11. 2.0 24km SW of Mount Hebron, CA
  12. 1.8 2km SE of Grenada, CA
  13. 2.2 Oregon
  14. 2.1 12 km WSW of Merrill, Oregon
  15. 1.8 20 km W of Klamath Falls, Oregon

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.