QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Mammoth Lakes, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Mammoth Lakes in the 24 hours to 12:27 pm PST (20:27 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 26 km (16 mi) SSE, at 3:54 am PDT on 24 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Mammoth Lakes

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) east-southeast of Mammoth Lakes, CA, at 7:35 pm PST on 13 November 2019 (03:35 UTC), 3.3 km deep.

USGS: 12km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA

7:35 pm PST, Nov 13, 2019 · · 3.3 km deep · released about 7.8 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mono County 33 kmMadera County 92 kmMariposa County 94 kmMineral County 107 kmEsmeralda County 108 kmTuolumne County 108 kmFresno County 119 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
7:35 pm PST on 13 November 2019 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) east-southeast of Mammoth Lakes, CA · earthquakes near Mammoth Lakes
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
3.3 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Mono County, 33 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Hilton Creek fault, 5 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 2549 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 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Mammoth Lakes, 12 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 7.8 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 1,900,000× 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 3.0 120× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.8 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 42 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1986 Chalfant Valley, California Earthquake · 36 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 6.2 9 km SW of Aspen Springs, California · 13 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 11 km WNW of Aspen Springs, California · 3 km SSE of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 8 km W of Aspen Springs, California · 8 km SSE of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 4 km NNW of Round Valley, California · 27 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 37.6190, -118.8442. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mono County, CA 33 km (21 mi) N earthquakes near Mono County
Madera County, CA 92 km (57 mi) WSW earthquakes near Madera County
Mariposa County, CA 94 km (59 mi) W earthquakes near Mariposa County
Mineral County, NV 107 km (66 mi) NNE earthquakes near Mineral County
Esmeralda County, NV 108 km (67 mi) E earthquakes near Esmeralda County
Tuolumne County, CA 108 km (67 mi) WNW earthquakes near Tuolumne County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 7km NW of West Bishop, CA
  2. 1.6 7km NW of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA
  3. 1.8 4km E of Round Valley, CA
  4. 2.0 4km WNW of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA
  5. 2.2 12km W of Toms Place, CA
  6. 1.6 13km WNW of Toms Place, CA
  7. 2.0 7km SE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  8. 2.3 7km SE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  9. 2.0 24km WSW of Round Valley, CA
  10. 1.6 20km ENE of Lee Vining, CA
  11. 1.5 7km SE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  12. 1.5 6km SE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  13. 1.6 3km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  14. 2.8 4km NW of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA
  15. 1.7 7km SE 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.