QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Coarsegold, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Coarsegold in the 24 hours to 4:03 am PST (12:03 UTC). The last one was M 2.7, 12 km (8 mi) WSW, at 7:57 pm PDT on 28 April 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 25 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Coarsegold

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) north-northwest of Coarsegold, CA, at 3:43 am PDT on 13 September 2020 (10:43 UTC), 15 km deep.

USGS: 2km NNW of Coarsegold, CA

56 km (35 mi) N of Fresno, CA · 48 km (30 mi) NE of Madera, CA

3:43 am PDT, Sep 13, 2020 · · 15 km deep · released about 14 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Madera County 9 kmMariposa County 37 kmFresno County 58 kmTuolumne County 85 kmMerced County 90 kmMono County 102 kmStanislaus County 118 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
3:43 am PDT on 13 September 2020 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) north-northwest of Coarsegold, CA · earthquakes near Coarsegold
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Madera County, 9 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2250 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 Coarsegold, 2 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: Oakhurst, Ahwahnee, Yosemite Lakes, Auberry.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 14 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 760,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 68× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 14 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 37.2795, -119.7102. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Madera County, CA 9 km (5 mi) SSW earthquakes near Madera County
Mariposa County, CA 37 km (23 mi) NNW earthquakes near Mariposa County
Fresno County, CA 58 km (36 mi) S earthquakes near Fresno County
Tuolumne County, CA 85 km (53 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Merced County, CA 90 km (56 mi) W earthquakes near Merced County
Mono County, CA 102 km (63 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. 1.7 15km S of Bootjack, CA
  2. 1.6 13km WNW of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  3. 1.6 9km SSE of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  4. 2.0 9km SW of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  5. 1.8 12km W of Auberry, CA
  6. 1.9 29km ENE of North Fork, CA
  7. 1.6 13km S of Mariposa, CA
  8. 1.6 4km N of Shaver Lake, CA
  9. 2.2 6km WNW of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  10. 1.6 19km SSW of Bootjack, CA
  11. 1.6 19km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  12. 2.4 19km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  13. 1.7 23km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  14. 1.6 23km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  15. 2.5 20km SE of Yosemite Valley, 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.