QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Yosemite Lakes, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Yosemite Lakes in the 24 hours to 12:56 pm PST (20:56 UTC). The last one was M 1.8, 11 km (7 mi) S, at 2:53 pm PDT on 27 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Yosemite Lakes

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) east-southeast of Yosemite Lakes, CA, at 2:55 pm PST on 29 January 2020 (22:55 UTC), 40 km deep.

USGS: 5km ESE of Yosemite Lakes, CA

45 km (28 mi) N of Fresno, CA · 39 km (24 mi) N of Clovis, CA

2:55 pm PST, Jan 29, 2020 · · 40 km deep · released about 35 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Madera County 4 kmFresno County 47 kmMariposa County 47 kmMerced County 89 kmTuolumne County 96 kmMono County 110 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
2:55 pm PST on 29 January 2020 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) east-southeast of Yosemite Lakes, CA · earthquakes near Yosemite Lakes
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
40 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Madera County, 4 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2478 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 Lakes, 5 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: Coarsegold, Oakhurst, Ahwahnee, Auberry, Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 35 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 5.8 440,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 310,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 28× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 35 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 37.1798, -119.7160. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Madera County, CA 4 km (3 mi) NW earthquakes near Madera County
Fresno County, CA 47 km (29 mi) S earthquakes near Fresno County
Mariposa County, CA 47 km (29 mi) NNW earthquakes near Mariposa County
Merced County, CA 89 km (55 mi) W earthquakes near Merced County
Tuolumne County, CA 96 km (60 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Mono County, CA 110 km (69 mi) NE earthquakes near Mono County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 9km SSE of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  2. 2.0 9km SW of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  3. 1.8 12km W of Auberry, CA
  4. 1.9 29km ENE of North Fork, CA
  5. 1.6 13km S of Mariposa, CA
  6. 1.6 4km N of Shaver Lake, CA
  7. 2.2 6km WNW of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  8. 1.6 19km SSW of Bootjack, CA
  9. 2.3 16km SSW of Bootjack, CA
  10. 2.5 19km SSW of Mariposa, CA
  11. 1.6 4km WSW of Auberry, CA
  12. 1.8 3 km NNW of Shaver Lake, California
  13. 1.8 2km NNW of Coarsegold, CA
  14. 2.1 10km NE of Fairmead, CA
  15. 2.0 15km SSW of Bootjack, 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.