QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5md

Earthquake near Susanville, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Susanville in the 24 hours to 10:46 pm PST (06:46 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 15 km (9 mi) N, at 8:16 am PDT on 25 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Susanville

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 35 km (21 mi) west of Susanville, CA, at 3:36 am PDT on 27 May 2019 (10:36 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 14km NNE of Hamilton Branch, CA

3:36 am PDT, May 27, 2019 · · 0.1 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Plumas County 50 kmLassen County 51 kmShasta County 92 kmButte County 94 kmSierra County 102 kmTehama 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
3:36 am PDT on 27 May 2019 ()
Where
35 km (21 mi) west of Susanville, CA · earthquakes near Susanville
Magnitude
M 1.5 (md)
Depth
0.1 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Plumas County, 50 km SSE
Nearest mapped fault
Almanor fault, 10 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 2725 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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Susanville, 35 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Westwood, Chester.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.4 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 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.7 2 km NNE of Canyondam, California · 23 km S of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 15 km NE of Mineral, California · 35 km W 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 40.4007, -121.0608. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Plumas County, CA 50 km (31 mi) SSE earthquakes near Plumas County
Lassen County, CA 51 km (32 mi) NE earthquakes near Lassen County
Shasta County, CA 92 km (57 mi) WNW earthquakes near Shasta County
Butte County, CA 94 km (58 mi) SSW earthquakes near Butte County
Sierra County, CA 102 km (64 mi) SSE earthquakes near Sierra County
Tehama County, CA 104 km (65 mi) WSW earthquakes near Tehama County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 5km ESE of Taylorsville, CA
  2. 1.8 5km ESE of Taylorsville, CA
  3. 1.6 6 km S of Taylorsville, California
  4. 1.9 4km NNW of Almanor, CA
  5. 2.4 2km ESE of Prattville, CA
  6. 1.7 15km NNW of Chester, CA
  7. 1.8 4km SSE of East Shore, CA
  8. 2.0 11km W of Chester, CA
  9. 2.5 11km W of Chester, CA
  10. 1.9 12km SW of Almanor, CA
  11. 2.1 15km WSW of Chester, CA
  12. 2.2 15km WSW of Chester, CA
  13. 2.0 18km SSE of Mineral, CA
  14. 1.5 2km SW of Canyondam, CA
  15. 2.3 15km NNW of Susanville, 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.