QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7md

Earthquake near Yosemite Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Yosemite Valley in the 24 hours to 3:49 pm PST (23:49 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 1.7 earthquake was recorded 14 km (9 mi) east-southeast of Yosemite Valley, CA, at 3:08 pm PST on 15 December 2019 (23:08 UTC), 17 km deep.

USGS: 14km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA

3:08 pm PST, Dec 15, 2019 · · 17 km deep · released about 9.3 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Yosemite Valley Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mariposa County 46 kmMono County 53 kmTuolumne County 59 kmMadera County 63 kmAlpine County 107 kmFresno County 107 kmCalaveras County 113 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
3:08 pm PST on 15 December 2019 ()
Where
14 km (9 mi) east-southeast of Yosemite Valley, CA · earthquakes near Yosemite Valley
Magnitude
M 1.7 (md)
Depth
17 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Mariposa County, 46 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2521 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 Yosemite Valley, 14 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 9.3 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 100× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 9.3 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 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.0 7 km ENE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 46 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 8 km NNE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 43 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 3 km NE of Mono City, California · 47 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 5.4 6 km ESE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 46 km ESE of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 3 km SE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 43 km ESE 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 37.7080, -119.4185. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mariposa County, CA 46 km (29 mi) WSW earthquakes near Mariposa County
Mono County, CA 53 km (33 mi) ENE earthquakes near Mono County
Tuolumne County, CA 59 km (37 mi) NW earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Madera County, CA 63 km (39 mi) SSW earthquakes near Madera County
Alpine County, CA 107 km (66 mi) NNW earthquakes near Alpine County
Fresno County, CA 107 km (67 mi) SSW earthquakes near Fresno County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 4km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  2. 2.2 4km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  3. 1.7 4km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  4. 1.7 4km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  5. 1.5 3km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  6. 2.3 4km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  7. 1.9 3km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  8. 1.9 4km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  9. 1.6 8km ESE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  10. 1.7 5km SSW of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  11. 1.6 5km SSW of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  12. 1.6 5km SSW of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  13. 1.6 6km SSW of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  14. 1.9 6km SSW of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  15. 1.7 4km 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.