QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Fresno, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Fresno in the 24 hours to 8:41 am PST (16:41 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 1.9 earthquake was recorded 49 km (31 mi) east-northeast of Fresno, CA, at 4:35 pm PST on 9 March 2021 (00:35 UTC), 33 km deep.

USGS: 18km SSE of Shaver Lake, CA

50 km (31 mi) ENE of Fresno, CA · 39 km (24 mi) ENE of Clovis, CA

4:35 pm PST, Mar 9, 2021 · · 33 km deep · released about 24 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Fresno County 40 kmMadera County 52 kmMariposa County 90 kmTulare County 91 kmKings County 108 kmMono County 114 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
4:35 pm PST on 9 March 2021 ()
Where
49 km (31 mi) east-northeast of Fresno, CA · earthquakes near Fresno
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
33 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Fresno County, 40 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2067 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 Fresno, 49 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: Yokuts Valley, Auberry, Minkler.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 24 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 640,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 450,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 40× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 24 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 36.9410, -119.2720. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Fresno County, CA 40 km (25 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. 2.2 3km NW of Sanger, CA
  2. 1.8 5km E of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  3. 2.5 4km E of Orange Cove, CA
  4. 2.1 6km ESE of Coarsegold, CA
  5. 2.1 6km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  6. 2.0 6km NW of Friant, CA
  7. 2.1 5km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  8. 2.1 6km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, 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. 2.3 13km NW of Squaw Valley, CA
  14. 2.1 5km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  15. 2.4 6km E of Orange Cove, 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.