QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6ml

Earthquake near West Park, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in West Park in the 24 hours to 2:27 am PST (10:27 UTC). The last one was M 5.7, 283 km (176 mi) NNE, at 3:08 pm PST on 9 December 2024, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 8,416 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near West Park

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) east-northeast of West Park, CA, at 3:18 pm PST on 20 December 2020 (23:18 UTC), 27 km deep. 6 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5km ENE of West Park, CA

6 km (3 mi) S of Fresno, CA

3:18 pm PST, Dec 20, 2020 · · 27 km deep · released about 270 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Fresno County 13 kmMadera County 53 kmKings County 73 kmMariposa County 94 kmMerced County 97 kmTulare County 107 kmSan Benito County 115 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
3:18 pm PST on 20 December 2020 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) east-northeast of West Park, CA · earthquakes near West Park
Magnitude
M 2.6 (ml)
Depth
27 km below the surface
Felt
6 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Fresno County, 13 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2083 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In West Park, 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: Fresno, Old Fig Garden, Easton, Tarpey Village, Clovis, Fowler.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 270 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 57,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 40,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 270 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 36.7328, -119.8003. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Fresno County, CA 13 km (8 mi) ENE earthquakes near Fresno County
Madera County, CA 53 km (33 mi) N earthquakes near Madera County
Kings County, CA 73 km (46 mi) S earthquakes near Kings County
Mariposa County, CA 94 km (58 mi) N earthquakes near Mariposa County
Merced County, CA 97 km (60 mi) WNW earthquakes near Merced County
Tulare County, CA 107 km (66 mi) ESE earthquakes near Tulare County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 5km E of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  2. 2.5 4km E of Orange Cove, CA
  3. 2.1 6km SSE of Riverdale, CA
  4. 2.1 6km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  5. 2.0 6km NW of Friant, CA
  6. 2.1 5km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  7. 2.1 6km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  8. 2.2 12km N of Madera Acres, CA
  9. 2.2 3km SE of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  10. 2.1 6km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  11. 1.9 7km NE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  12. 2.2 7km NE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  13. 2.4 5km S of Lanare, CA
  14. 2.3 13km NW of Squaw Valley, CA
  15. 2.3 16km SSW of Fairmead, 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.