QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Clovis, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Clovis in the 24 hours to 10:39 am PST (18:39 UTC). The last one was M 5.7, 286 km (177 mi) NNE, at 6:29 pm PDT on 13 April 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 6,515 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Clovis

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) northeast of Clovis, CA, at 5:50 am PST on 27 December 2020 (13:50 UTC), 29 km deep.

USGS: 4km N of Shaver Lake, CA

57 km (36 mi) NE of Fresno, CA · 47 km (29 mi) NE of Clovis, CA

5:50 am PST, Dec 27, 2020 · · 29 km deep · released about 8.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Madera County 39 kmFresno County 51 kmMariposa County 71 kmMono County 95 kmTulare County 112 kmTuolumne County 113 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
5:50 am PST on 27 December 2020 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) northeast of Clovis, CA · earthquakes near Clovis
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
29 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Madera County, 39 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2137 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 Clovis, 48 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Auberry.

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

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 37.1377, -119.3243. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Madera County, CA 39 km (24 mi) WNW earthquakes near Madera County
Fresno County, CA 51 km (32 mi) SW earthquakes near Fresno County
Mariposa County, CA 71 km (44 mi) NW earthquakes near Mariposa County
Mono County, CA 95 km (59 mi) NNE earthquakes near Mono County
Tulare County, CA 112 km (70 mi) SSE earthquakes near Tulare County
Tuolumne County, CA 113 km (70 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tuolumne County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 8km ESE of Oakhurst, CA
  2. 1.6 7km E of North Fork, CA
  3. 1.7 6km NW of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  4. 2.2 7km NNE of Oakhurst, CA
  5. 2.4 7km SE of North Fork, CA
  6. 1.9 18km SSE of Shaver Lake, CA
  7. 2.8 18km SSE of Shaver Lake, CA
  8. 2.3 24km NNE of Squaw Valley, CA
  9. 1.8 26km NE of Oakhurst, CA
  10. 1.5 1km E of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  11. 2.2 23km S of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  12. 1.5 23km S of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  13. 1.6 9km SSE of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  14. 2.0 9km SW of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  15. 1.8 12km W of Auberry, 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.