QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Yosemite Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Yosemite Valley in the 24 hours to 2:19 pm PST (22:19 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 22 km (14 mi) SE, at 7:51 am PDT on 28 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Yosemite Valley

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 23 km (14 mi) east-southeast of Yosemite Valley, CA, at 1:08 am PDT on 3 May 2019 (08:08 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 23km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA

1:08 am PDT, May 3, 2019 · · 12 km deep · released about 91 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mariposa County 49 kmMono County 53 kmMadera County 59 kmTuolumne County 69 kmFresno County 101 kmAlpine County 116 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
1:08 am PDT on 3 May 2019 ()
Where
23 km (14 mi) east-southeast of Yosemite Valley, CA · earthquakes near Yosemite Valley
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Mariposa County, 49 km W
Nearest mapped fault
Silver Lake fault, 25 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 2750 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 16 km (10 mi) from the epicentre. In Yosemite Valley, 23 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 91 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 170,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 120,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 10× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 91 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 14 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.1 11 km WNW of Aspen Springs, California · 46 km E of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 8 km W of Aspen Springs, California · 49 km E of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 7 km ENE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 40 km E of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 8 km NNE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 39 km ENE of this epicentre
  5. 5.9 11 km SE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 44 km E 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 37.6342, -119.3553. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mariposa County, CA 49 km (31 mi) W earthquakes near Mariposa County
Mono County, CA 53 km (33 mi) NE earthquakes near Mono County
Madera County, CA 59 km (36 mi) SW earthquakes near Madera County
Tuolumne County, CA 69 km (43 mi) NW earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Fresno County, CA 101 km (63 mi) SSW earthquakes near Fresno County
Alpine County, CA 116 km (72 mi) NNW earthquakes near Alpine 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. 1.9 14km WSW of Toms Place, CA
  2. 1.5 26km SW of Toms Place, CA
  3. 1.6 22km NE of Ahwahnee, CA
  4. 2.3 9km NNE of Oakhurst, CA
  5. 2.0 18km WSW of Toms Place, CA
  6. 1.7 22km SSW of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  7. 1.6 7km SSE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  8. 1.5 1km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  9. 1.5 4km W of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  10. 1.9 16km WSW of Toms Place, CA
  11. 1.6 14km WSW of Toms Place, CA
  12. 1.5 21km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  13. 1.6 12km SE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  14. 2.4 10km S of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  15. 2.0 9km E 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.