QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9ml

Earthquake near Mammoth Lakes, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Mammoth Lakes in the 24 hours to 11:59 am PST (19:59 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 26 km (16 mi) SSE, at 3:54 am PDT on 24 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Mammoth Lakes

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 34 km (21 mi) south-southeast of Mammoth Lakes, CA, at 10:13 am PST on 30 January 2019 (18:13 UTC), 14 km deep. 303 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 15km W of Round Valley, CA

10:13 am PST, Jan 30, 2019 · · 14 km deep · released about 700 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Mammoth Lakes Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mono County 59 kmMadera County 90 kmMariposa County 103 kmFresno County 106 kmEsmeralda County 108 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
10:13 am PST on 30 January 2019 ()
Where
34 km (21 mi) south-southeast of Mammoth Lakes, CA · earthquakes near Mammoth Lakes
Magnitude
M 2.9 (ml)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
303 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Mono County, 59 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Hilton Creek fault, 12 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 2837 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, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 29 km (18 mi) from the epicentre. In Mammoth Lakes, 34 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.

Likely felt in: West Bishop 27 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 700 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 15,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 700 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.8 on 2016-02-16 — about 620 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 38 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1986 Chalfant Valley, California Earthquake · 32 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 6.2 9 km SW of Aspen Springs, California · 13 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 11 km WNW of Aspen Springs, California · 23 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 8 km W of Aspen Springs, California · 18 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 4 km NNW of Round Valley, California · 16 km ENE 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 37.3930, -118.7622. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mono County, CA 59 km (37 mi) N earthquakes near Mono County
Madera County, CA 90 km (56 mi) WSW earthquakes near Madera County
Mariposa County, CA 103 km (64 mi) WNW earthquakes near Mariposa County
Fresno County, CA 106 km (66 mi) SW earthquakes near Fresno County
Esmeralda County, NV 108 km (67 mi) ENE earthquakes near Esmeralda County
Tuolumne County, CA 127 km (79 mi) NW earthquakes near Tuolumne County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 9km SW of Toms Place, CA
  2. 2.2 25km S of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  3. 1.6 8km W of Wilkerson, CA
  4. 1.7 25km S of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  5. 1.5 1km NNE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  6. 2.1 6km W of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  7. 2.1 6km W of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  8. 1.5 6km W of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  9. 1.9 6km W of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  10. 2.0 14km NW of Toms Place, CA
  11. 1.9 11km ESE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  12. 1.6 6km W of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  13. 1.9 6km W of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  14. 1.9 6km W of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  15. 2.2 6km W of Mammoth Lakes, 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.