QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Durham, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Durham in the 24 hours to 11:54 pm PST (07:54 UTC). The last one was M 4.4, 125 km (78 mi) WNW, at 6:14 pm PDT on 10 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 66 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Durham

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) east of Durham, CA, at 8:29 am PDT on 25 April 2019 (15:29 UTC), 22 km deep.

USGS: 6km E of Durham, CA

14 km (9 mi) SSE of Chico, CA

8:29 am PDT, Apr 25, 2019 · · 22 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Butte County 11 kmYuba County 54 kmGlenn County 58 kmColusa County 68 kmSutter County 68 kmTehama County 68 kmPlumas County 86 kmNevada County 91 kmSierra County 104 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
8:29 am PDT on 25 April 2019 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) east of Durham, CA · earthquakes near Durham
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
22 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Butte County, 11 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2757 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 Durham, 6 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Chico, Paradise, Thermalito, Oroville, Magalia, South Oroville.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 730,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 65× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.7 The 1975 Oroville, California Earthquake · 29 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 4 km E of Palermo, California · 31 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.1 5 km ENE of Palermo, California · 31 km SE 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 39.6485, -121.7307. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Butte County, CA 11 km (7 mi) E earthquakes near Butte County
Yuba County, CA 54 km (33 mi) SE earthquakes near Yuba County
Glenn County, CA 58 km (36 mi) W earthquakes near Glenn County
Colusa County, CA 68 km (42 mi) SW earthquakes near Colusa County
Sutter County, CA 68 km (42 mi) S earthquakes near Sutter County
Tehama County, CA 68 km (42 mi) NW earthquakes near Tehama County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 4km NE of Hamilton City, CA
  2. 2.1 9km ENE of Loma Rica, CA
  3. 2.1 15km ESE of Willows, CA
  4. 1.8 4km NE of Hamilton City, CA
  5. 2.1 4km NE of Hamilton City, CA
  6. 2.2 13km WSW of Durham, CA
  7. 1.7 3km NNE of Hamilton City, CA
  8. 1.7 4km NNE of Hamilton City, CA
  9. 2.6 13km WSW of Durham, CA
  10. 1.9 10km ENE of Loma Rica, CA
  11. 2.8 4km N of Hamilton City, CA
  12. 1.6 17km WSW of Durham, CA
  13. 1.7 10km N of Thermalito, CA
  14. 1.9 5km W of Hamilton City, CA
  15. 1.8 1km NNE of Chico, 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.