QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Rancho Tehama Reserve, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Rancho Tehama Reserve in the 24 hours to 9:18 pm PST (05:18 UTC). The last one was M 4.0, 74 km (46 mi) SW, at 5:01 am PDT on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 14 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Rancho Tehama Reserve

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 37 km (23 mi) west of Rancho Tehama Reserve, CA, at 1:37 pm PDT on 27 September 2018 (20:37 UTC), 10 km deep.

USGS: 37km NNW of Alder Springs, CA

90 km (56 mi) WNW of Chico, CA

1:37 pm PDT, Sep 27, 2018 · · 10 km deep · released about 16 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Tehama County 54 kmGlenn County 55 kmTrinity County 79 kmMendocino County 79 kmLake County 96 kmColusa County 102 kmButte County 110 kmShasta County 110 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
1:37 pm PDT on 27 September 2018 ()
Where
37 km (23 mi) west of Rancho Tehama Reserve, CA · earthquakes near Rancho Tehama Reserve
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Tehama County, 54 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2967 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 9 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Rancho Tehama Reserve, 37 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 16 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 930,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 660,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 59× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 16 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.5 33 km NW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, California · 27 km NNE 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 39.9705, -122.8335. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Tehama County, CA 54 km (34 mi) ENE earthquakes near Tehama County
Glenn County, CA 55 km (34 mi) SE earthquakes near Glenn County
Trinity County, CA 79 km (49 mi) NNW earthquakes near Trinity County
Mendocino County, CA 79 km (49 mi) SW earthquakes near Mendocino County
Lake County, CA 96 km (60 mi) S earthquakes near Lake County
Colusa County, CA 102 km (63 mi) SSE earthquakes near Colusa County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 36km NE of Covelo, CA
  2. 2.6 41km S of Hayfork, CA
  3. 2.7 37km SSE of Hayfork, CA
  4. 1.5 41km NE of Covelo, CA
  5. 2.9 15km N of Lake Pillsbury, CA
  6. 1.9 21km W of Rancho Tehama Reserve, CA
  7. 1.7 8km ENE of Covelo, CA
  8. 1.9 19km NNW of Alder Springs, CA
  9. 1.8 20km NNW of Alder Springs, CA
  10. 2.4 14km NW of Alder Springs, CA
  11. 1.8 23km WNW of Alder Springs, CA
  12. 1.8 16km NW of Alder Springs, CA
  13. 1.6 24km W of Rancho Tehama Reserve, CA
  14. 2.3 15km NNE of Alder Springs, CA
  15. 2.0 14km NNE of Alder Springs, 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.