QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.1ml

Earthquake near Oakhurst, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Oakhurst in the 24 hours to 7:29 pm PST (03:29 UTC). The last one was M 5.7, 230 km (143 mi) NNE, at 6:29 pm PDT on 13 April 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 6,515 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Oakhurst

This page: a magnitude 3.1 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) north-northeast of Oakhurst, CA, at 11:32 pm PDT on 21 October 2018 (06:32 UTC), 43 km deep. 195 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 10km NNE of Oakhurst, CA

72 km (45 mi) NNE of Fresno, CA

11:32 pm PDT, Oct 21, 2018 · · 43 km deep · released about 1,200 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Madera County 26 kmMariposa County 33 kmFresno County 72 kmTuolumne County 75 kmMono County 85 kmMerced County 102 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
11:32 pm PDT on 21 October 2018 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) north-northeast of Oakhurst, CA · earthquakes near Oakhurst
Magnitude
M 3.1 (ml)
Depth
43 km below the surface
Felt
195 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Madera County, 26 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2864 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 it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Oakhurst, 10 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Ahwahnee, Coarsegold, Yosemite Lakes.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,200 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 290,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 13,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 9,100× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.1 about 1,200 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.2× more

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 37.4098, -119.6053. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Madera County, CA 26 km (16 mi) SSW earthquakes near Madera County
Mariposa County, CA 33 km (20 mi) NW earthquakes near Mariposa County
Fresno County, CA 72 km (45 mi) S earthquakes near Fresno County
Tuolumne County, CA 75 km (47 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Mono County, CA 85 km (53 mi) NE earthquakes near Mono County
Merced County, CA 102 km (63 mi) WSW earthquakes near Merced County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 7km W of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  2. 1.6 7km NNE of Oakhurst, CA
  3. 1.6 18km SSW of Bootjack, CA
  4. 1.9 16km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  5. 2.3 19km WNW of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  6. 1.8 20km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  7. 2.1 19km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  8. 1.7 10km W of Ahwahnee, CA
  9. 1.6 2km NW of Oakhurst, CA
  10. 2.6 17km SSW of Bootjack, CA
  11. 1.8 17km SSW of Bootjack, CA
  12. 2.1 22km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  13. 2.1 16km SSW of Bootjack, CA
  14. 1.6 17km SSW of Bootjack, CA
  15. 1.9 17km SSW of Bootjack, 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.