quarry blast · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.5md
Earthquake near Shasta Lake, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Shasta Lake in the 24 hours to 5:26 am PST (13:26 UTC). The last one was M 4.4, 117 km (73 mi) SW, at 3:21 pm PDT on 5 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 122 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Shasta Lake
No: USGS classifies this as a quarry blast, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.5 quarry blast was recorded 8 km (5 mi) northeast of Shasta Lake, CA, at 10:23 am PDT on 8 October 2020 (17:23 UTC), less than 1 km deep.
USGS: 8km NE of Shasta Lake, CA
18 km (11 mi) NNE of Redding, CA · 115 km (72 mi) NNW of Chico, CA
- When
- 10:23 am PDT on 8 October 2020 ()
- Where
- 8 km (5 mi) northeast of Shasta Lake, CA · earthquakes near Shasta Lake
- Magnitude
- M 1.5 (md)
- Depth
- -0.4 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Shasta County, 22 km E
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2225 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Shasta Lake, CA
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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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Shasta Lake, 8 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.
Likely felt in: Shasta Lake 8 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
USGS catalogues this as quarry blast, not an earthquake.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 5.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,700,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,900,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 170× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.6 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:
- 5.1 7km NW of Redding, CA · 15 km SW 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 40.7282, -122.3045. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shasta County, CA | 22 km (14 mi) | E | earthquakes near Shasta County |
| Tehama County, CA | 67 km (42 mi) | S | earthquakes near Tehama County |
| Trinity County, CA | 69 km (43 mi) | W | earthquakes near Trinity County |
| Siskiyou County, CA | 98 km (61 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Siskiyou County |
| Butte County, CA | 132 km (82 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Butte County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
57 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.5 6km ESE of Bella Vista, CA
- 1.6 8km NE of Shasta Lake, CA
- 1.9 16km NW of Big Bend, CA
- 2.0 18km ESE of Anderson, CA
- 1.6 10km WSW of Round Mountain, CA
- 1.5 14km N of Shingletown, CA
- 1.6 2km E of Palo Cedro, CA
- 1.5 6km NNE of Millville, CA
- 2.1 12km NNE of Shasta Lake, CA
- 1.8 9km NE of Shasta Lake, CA
- 1.6 5km N of Millville, CA
- 1.9 20km NE of Red Bluff, CA
- 2.0 18km WNW of Round Mountain, CA
- 1.6 9km E of Millville, CA
- 2.0 10km ENE of French Gulch, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.