QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Magalia, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Magalia in the 24 hours to 12:11 am PST (08:11 UTC). The last one was M 5.6, 150 km (93 mi) WSW, at 8:10 am PDT on 24 June 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 5,311 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Magalia

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 45 km (28 mi) north of Magalia, CA, at 3:45 pm PST on 5 November 2018 (23:45 UTC), 1.1 km deep.

USGS: 15km S of Mineral, CA

56 km (35 mi) NNE of Chico, CA

3:45 pm PST, Nov 5, 2018 · · 1.1 km deep · released about 7.1 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Tehama County 59 kmButte County 62 kmPlumas County 67 kmShasta County 73 kmLassen County 96 kmGlenn County 100 kmYuba County 107 kmSierra County 113 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
3:45 pm PST on 5 November 2018 ()
Where
45 km (28 mi) north of Magalia, CA · earthquakes near Magalia
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
1.1 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Tehama County, 59 km W
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2929 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 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Magalia, 45 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Chester.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.1 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,500,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.1 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 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.7 2 km NNE of Canyondam, California · 42 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 15 km NE of Mineral, 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 40.2185, -121.5497. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Tehama County, CA 59 km (37 mi) W earthquakes near Tehama County
Butte County, CA 62 km (38 mi) S earthquakes near Butte County
Plumas County, CA 67 km (41 mi) ESE earthquakes near Plumas County
Shasta County, CA 73 km (46 mi) NW earthquakes near Shasta County
Lassen County, CA 96 km (60 mi) NE earthquakes near Lassen County
Glenn County, CA 100 km (62 mi) SW earthquakes near Glenn County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 20km NE of Red Bluff, CA
  2. 2.0 18km ENE of Red Bluff, CA
  3. 1.9 9km SSE of Mineral, CA
  4. 2.0 13km NNE of Mineral, CA
  5. 1.6 7km NNE of Mineral, CA
  6. 1.7 16km WSW of Almanor, CA
  7. 1.6 19km WNW of Belden, CA
  8. 1.5 13km NNE of Mineral, CA
  9. 1.6 18km WSW of Almanor, CA
  10. 1.7 6km SE of Viola, CA
  11. 1.5 4km WSW of Hamilton Branch, CA
  12. 2.2 2km ENE of Belden, CA
  13. 1.5 2km SW of Canyondam, CA
  14. 1.5 14km NNE of Hamilton Branch, CA
  15. 1.6 1km WSW of Almanor, 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.