QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Covelo, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Covelo in the 24 hours to 10:01 pm PST (06:01 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 9 km (6 mi) N, at 3:31 pm PST on 10 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Covelo

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 29 km (18 mi) east of Covelo, CA, at 2:08 pm PDT on 14 March 2019 (21:08 UTC), 6.0 km deep.

USGS: 22km NW of Alder Springs, CA

93 km (58 mi) W of Chico, CA

2:08 pm PDT, Mar 14, 2019 · · 6.0 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Glenn County 48 kmMendocino County 61 kmTehama County 68 kmLake County 77 kmColusa County 89 kmTrinity County 97 kmButte County 112 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
2:08 pm PDT on 14 March 2019 ()
Where
29 km (18 mi) east of Covelo, CA · earthquakes near Covelo
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
6.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Glenn County, 48 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Bartlett Springs fault system, 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 2799 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 9 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Covelo, 29 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 7.6 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 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× 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 7.6 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.5 33 km NW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, California · 48 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 39.7928, -122.9065. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Glenn County, CA 48 km (30 mi) ESE earthquakes near Glenn County
Mendocino County, CA 61 km (38 mi) SW earthquakes near Mendocino County
Tehama County, CA 68 km (42 mi) ENE earthquakes near Tehama County
Lake County, CA 77 km (48 mi) S earthquakes near Lake County
Colusa County, CA 89 km (55 mi) SE earthquakes near Colusa County
Trinity County, CA 97 km (60 mi) N earthquakes near Trinity County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 7km ENE of Brooktrails, CA
  2. 1.8 14km NNE of Brooktrails, CA
  3. 1.6 34km WNW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, CA
  4. 1.7 15km NNE of Brooktrails, CA
  5. 1.9 18km NNW of Lake Pillsbury, CA
  6. 1.9 14km WNW of Lake Pillsbury, CA
  7. 2.0 15km NNE of Lake Pillsbury, CA
  8. 2.4 15km N of Brooktrails, CA
  9. 1.6 7km NE of Brooktrails, CA
  10. 2.7 15km NNE of Lake Pillsbury, CA
  11. 1.8 13km WNW of Lake Pillsbury, CA
  12. 1.6 21km SE of Covelo, CA
  13. 1.5 36km N of Covelo, CA
  14. 2.7 21km SE of Covelo, CA
  15. 2.4 21km SE of Covelo, 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.