Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 4.0mw
Earthquake near Avenal, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Avenal in the 24 hours to 8:48 pm PST (04:48 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 7 km (4 mi) NW, at 12:34 am PDT on 18 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Avenal
This page: a magnitude 4.0 earthquake was recorded 9 km (6 mi) northwest of Avenal, CA, at 5:07 am PST on 27 November 2018 (13:07 UTC), 11 km deep. 63 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 9km NW of Avenal, CA
86 km (54 mi) SSW of Fresno, CA · 56 km (35 mi) WSW of Hanford, CA
- When
- 5:07 am PST on 27 November 2018 ()
- Where
- 9 km (6 mi) northwest of Avenal, CA · earthquakes near Avenal
- Magnitude
- M 4.0 (mw)
- Depth
- 11 km below the surface
- Felt
- 63 reports · strongest reported intensity III
- Measured shaking
- intensity V (ShakeMap)
- USGS impact alert
- green
- Nearest
- Kings County, 33 km E
- Nearest mapped fault
- Great Valley thrust fault system, 8 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 2832 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Avenal, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Avenal, CA. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.
At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 96 km (60 mi) from the epicentre. In Avenal, 9 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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: Avenal 9 km, intensity IV · Huron 16 km, intensity III · Coalinga 17 km, intensity III · Kettleman City 22 km, intensity III · Lemoore 44 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 15 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.0 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 11,000× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 500× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 350× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 4.0 about 15 tons of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 32× 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
The largest earthquake within 50 km (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. No other earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded this close in that time.
Before 2016, the USGS record lists 18 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 6.7 The 1983 Coalinga, California Earthquake · 21 km NNW of this epicentre
- 6.5 1922 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 36 km S of this epicentre
- 6.4 1901 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 29 km WSW of this epicentre
- 6.0 2004 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 33 km SSW of this epicentre
- 5.8 1934 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 50 km WSW 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 36.0735, -120.1882. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kings County, CA | 33 km (21 mi) | E | earthquakes near Kings County |
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 80 km (50 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County |
| Fresno County, CA | 90 km (56 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Fresno County |
| San Benito County, CA | 100 km (62 mi) | NW | earthquakes near San Benito County |
| Monterey County, CA | 103 km (64 mi) | W | earthquakes near Monterey County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
59 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.1 21km NW of Parkfield, CA
- 1.7 9km N of Avenal, CA
- 1.9 30km E of Cholame, CA
- 1.8 24km SE of Kettleman City, CA
- 1.6 18km NW of Parkfield, CA
- 1.9 10km WSW of Huron, CA
- 1.6 5km NW of Parkfield, CA
- 1.8 23km SE of Kettleman City, CA
- 2.0 21km SSE of Kettleman City, CA
- 1.9 21km SSE of Kettleman City, CA
- 2.6 21km SSE of Kettleman City, CA
- 1.8 12km ENE of Coalinga, CA
- 2.9 12km ENE of Coalinga, CA
- 1.9 21km SSE of Kettleman City, CA
- 1.7 23km NW of Parkfield, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.