Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.8ml
Earthquake near Fresno, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Fresno in the 24 hours to 3:26 pm PST (23:26 UTC). The last one was M 1.8, 8 km (5 mi) ESE, at 8:23 am PST on 27 February 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Fresno
This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 49 km (31 mi) east-northeast of Fresno, CA, at 9:46 am PST on 27 February 2021 (17:46 UTC), 33 km deep. 32 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 18km SSE of Shaver Lake, CA
49 km (31 mi) ENE of Fresno, CA · 38 km (24 mi) ENE of Clovis, CA
- When
- 9:46 am PST on 27 February 2021 ()
- Where
- 49 km (31 mi) east-northeast of Fresno, CA · earthquakes near Fresno
- Magnitude
- M 2.8 (ml)
- Depth
- 33 km below the surface
- Felt
- 32 reports · strongest reported intensity III
- Nearest
- Fresno County, 39 km WSW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1953 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Fresno, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Fresno, CA. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 Fresno, 49 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: Yokuts Valley, Auberry, Minkler.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 420 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 36,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 26,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.3× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.8 about 420 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 36.9413, -119.2742. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno County, CA | 39 km (24 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Fresno County |
| Madera County, CA | 52 km (32 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Madera County |
| Mariposa County, CA | 90 km (56 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Mariposa County |
| Tulare County, CA | 91 km (56 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Tulare County |
| Kings County, CA | 108 km (67 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Kings County |
| Mono County, CA | 114 km (71 mi) | NNE | 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.
- 1.8 5km E of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
- 2.5 4km E of Orange Cove, CA
- 2.1 6km ESE of Coarsegold, CA
- 2.1 6km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
- 2.0 6km NW of Friant, CA
- 2.1 5km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
- 2.1 6km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
- 2.2 3km SE of Yosemite Lakes, CA
- 2.1 6km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
- 1.9 7km NE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
- 2.2 7km NE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
- 2.3 13km NW of Squaw Valley, CA
- 2.1 5km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
- 2.4 6km E of Orange Cove, CA
- 1.8 12km NNE of North Fork, 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.