QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near South Dos Palos, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in South Dos Palos in the 24 hours to 8:18 pm PST (04:18 UTC). The last one was M 3.9, 64 km (40 mi) SW, at 3:19 am PDT on 11 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 34 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near South Dos Palos

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 28 km (17 mi) southwest of South Dos Palos, CA, at 8:39 pm PDT on 27 March 2020 (03:39 UTC), 9.4 km deep.

USGS: 28km SW of South Dos Palos, CA

8:39 pm PDT, Mar 27, 2020 · · 9.4 km deep · released about 8.4 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near South Dos Palos Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Benito County 27 kmMerced County 49 kmMonterey County 72 kmStanislaus County 89 kmSanta Clara County 89 kmSanta Cruz County 106 kmFresno County 107 kmMadera 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
8:39 pm PDT on 27 March 2020 ()
Where
28 km (17 mi) southwest of South Dos Palos, CA · earthquakes near South Dos Palos
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
9.4 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Benito County, 27 km SW
Nearest mapped fault
Ortigalita fault, 4 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 2416 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 7 km (4 mi) from the epicentre. In South Dos Palos, 28 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.4 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 1,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 110× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.4 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.7 on 2019-10-15 — about 42,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 9 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.1 Northwest of Huron, California · 38 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 10 km SE of Tres Pinos, California · 33 km W of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 Near Paicines, California · 37 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 12 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 41 km WSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 3 km ENE of Tres Pinos, California · 38 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 36.7717, -120.8562. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Benito County, CA 27 km (17 mi) SW earthquakes near San Benito County
Merced County, CA 49 km (30 mi) NNE earthquakes near Merced County
Monterey County, CA 72 km (45 mi) SW earthquakes near Monterey County
Stanislaus County, CA 89 km (55 mi) N earthquakes near Stanislaus County
Santa Clara County, CA 89 km (56 mi) NW earthquakes near Santa Clara County
Santa Cruz County, CA 106 km (66 mi) WNW earthquakes near Santa Cruz 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. 2.3 10km N of Pinnacles, CA
  2. 2.1 10km N of Pinnacles, CA
  3. 2.0 10km N of Pinnacles, CA
  4. 1.6 10km NW of Pinnacles, CA
  5. 2.0 6km NNW of Pinnacles, CA
  6. 2.5 6km NNW of Pinnacles, CA
  7. 2.7 6km NNW of Pinnacles, CA
  8. 1.5 12km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  9. 1.6 14km SSE of Tres Pinos, CA
  10. 2.4 23km WSW of New Idria, CA
  11. 1.5 13km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  12. 2.1 6km NNW of Pinnacles, CA
  13. 2.5 18km SE of Pinnacles, CA
  14. 1.9 12km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  15. 3.2 12km S of Tres Pinos, 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.