QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Red Bluff, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Red Bluff in the 24 hours to 6:27 am PST (14:27 UTC). The last one was M 4.0, 97 km (60 mi) SW, at 5:01 am PDT on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 14 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Red Bluff

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 18 km (11 mi) east-northeast of Red Bluff, CA, at 10:44 am PDT on 18 August 2019 (17:44 UTC), 5.5 km deep.

USGS: 18km ENE of Red Bluff, CA

59 km (37 mi) NNW of Chico, CA · 43 km (27 mi) SE of Redding, CA

10:44 am PDT, Aug 18, 2019 · · 5.5 km deep · released about 36 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Tehama County 22 kmShasta County 55 kmButte County 77 kmGlenn County 79 kmTrinity County 100 kmPlumas County 108 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
10:44 am PDT on 18 August 2019 ()
Where
18 km (11 mi) east-northeast of Red Bluff, CA · earthquakes near Red Bluff
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
5.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Tehama County, 22 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2639 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 Red Bluff, 18 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: Gerber, Los Molinos, Shingletown, Anderson.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 36 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 420,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 27× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 36 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 since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 40.2638, -122.0492. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Tehama County, CA 22 km (14 mi) SW earthquakes near Tehama County
Shasta County, CA 55 km (34 mi) N earthquakes near Shasta County
Butte County, CA 77 km (48 mi) SSE earthquakes near Butte County
Glenn County, CA 79 km (49 mi) SSW earthquakes near Glenn County
Trinity County, CA 100 km (62 mi) WNW earthquakes near Trinity County
Plumas County, CA 108 km (67 mi) ESE earthquakes near Plumas County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 6km SE of Corning, CA
  2. 1.5 5km WSW of Manton, CA
  3. 2.3 6km SE of Corning, CA
  4. 2.3 10km NNW of Viola, CA
  5. 1.6 15km ESE of Anderson, CA
  6. 1.8 11km NW of Shingletown, CA
  7. 1.6 4km NNW of Palo Cedro, CA
  8. 2.1 6km NE of Gerber, CA
  9. 1.6 12km ESE of Viola, CA
  10. 2.2 12km ESE of Viola, CA
  11. 1.7 16km NNW of Shingletown, CA
  12. 1.6 16km NNW of Shingletown, CA
  13. 1.8 11km NW of Viola, CA
  14. 1.9 16km ESE of Anderson, CA
  15. 1.8 5km SE of Bella Vista, 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.