QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Mammoth Lakes, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Mammoth Lakes in the 24 hours to 5:15 pm PST (01:15 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 1.6 earthquake was recorded 40 km (25 mi) north-northeast of Mammoth Lakes, CA, at 10:26 pm PST on 2 February 2019 (06:26 UTC), 15 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 22km ENE of Lee Vining, CA

10:26 pm PST, Feb 2, 2019 · · 15 km deep · released about 8.1 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Mammoth Lakes Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mono County 10 kmMineral County 70 kmTuolumne County 96 kmMariposa County 103 kmAlpine County 106 kmEsmeralda County 112 kmLyon County 117 kmMadera County 117 kmDouglas County 119 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
10:26 pm PST on 2 February 2019 ()
Where
40 km (25 mi) north-northeast of Mammoth Lakes, CA · earthquakes near Mammoth Lakes
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Mono County, 10 km S
Nearest mapped fault
Huntoon Valley fault system, 14 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 2838 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Mammoth Lakes, 40 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.1 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 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 120× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.1 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 5.6 on 2016-12-28 — about 930,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 27 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.1 11 km WNW of Aspen Springs, California · 46 km S of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 Mammoth Lakes area, California · 50 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 Mammoth Lakes area, California · 50 km SSE of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 7 km ENE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 36 km S of this epicentre
  5. 5.9 8 km NNE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 32 km S 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 38.0028, -118.8727. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mono County, CA 10 km (6 mi) S earthquakes near Mono County
Mineral County, NV 70 km (43 mi) NE earthquakes near Mineral County
Tuolumne County, CA 96 km (59 mi) W earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Mariposa County, CA 103 km (64 mi) WSW earthquakes near Mariposa County
Alpine County, CA 106 km (66 mi) NW earthquakes near Alpine County
Esmeralda County, NV 112 km (69 mi) ESE earthquakes near Esmeralda County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 28 km SSW of Hawthorne, Nevada
  2. 1.8 29 km SSW of Hawthorne, Nevada
  3. 1.6 28 km SSW of Hawthorne, Nevada
  4. 1.9 7km WSW of Bridgeport, CA
  5. 1.8 28 km ENE of Bridgeport, California
  6. 3.9 20 km NNE of Benton, California
  7. 1.6 6km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  8. 1.5 29 km ENE of Bridgeport, California
  9. 1.6 12km SE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  10. 3.0 25km SE of Bodie, CA
  11. 2.1 6km SE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  12. 1.7 11km ESE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  13. 2.2 11km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  14. 1.8 33km E of Lee Vining, CA
  15. 1.5 30 km ENE of Bridgeport, California

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.