QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2md

Earthquake near Arbuckle, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Arbuckle in the 24 hours to 6:07 am PST (14:07 UTC). The last one was M 4.0, 94 km (58 mi) NW, at 5:01 am PDT on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 14 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Arbuckle

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) southwest of Arbuckle, CA, at 5:59 am PDT on 24 March 2021 (12:59 UTC), 15 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7km SW of Arbuckle, CA

73 km (45 mi) NW of Sacramento, CA · 45 km (28 mi) WSW of Yuba City, CA

5:59 am PDT, Mar 24, 2021 · · 15 km deep · released about 69 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Colusa County 24 kmSutter County 37 kmYolo County 38 kmNapa County 55 kmLake County 55 kmGlenn County 73 kmYuba County 75 kmSolano County 81 kmSonoma County 86 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
5:59 am PDT on 24 March 2021 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) southwest of Arbuckle, CA · earthquakes near Arbuckle
Magnitude
M 2.2 (md)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Colusa County, 24 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Great Valley thrust fault system, 6 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2051 days ago

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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Arbuckle, 7 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: Dunnigan, Williams, Colusa.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 69 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 220,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 150,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 14× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 69 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 38.9792, -122.1245. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Colusa County, CA 24 km (15 mi) NNW earthquakes near Colusa County
Sutter County, CA 37 km (23 mi) E earthquakes near Sutter County
Yolo County, CA 38 km (24 mi) SSE earthquakes near Yolo County
Napa County, CA 55 km (34 mi) SSW earthquakes near Napa County
Lake County, CA 55 km (34 mi) WNW earthquakes near Lake County
Glenn County, CA 73 km (46 mi) NNW earthquakes near Glenn County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 14km E of Angwin, CA
  2. 1.9 6km SW of Arbuckle, CA
  3. 1.6 18km NNE of Angwin, CA
  4. 1.8 15km ESE of Hidden Valley Lake, CA
  5. 2.0 10km NNE of Angwin, CA
  6. 1.8 11km ESE of Hidden Valley Lake, CA
  7. 2.5 14km W of Williams, CA
  8. 1.5 13km E of Angwin, CA
  9. 1.6 12km ESE of Hidden Valley Lake, CA
  10. 2.2 12km ESE of Hidden Valley Lake, CA
  11. 1.7 10km NNE of Angwin, CA
  12. 1.8 10km E of Clearlake, CA
  13. 1.6 10km ENE of Hidden Valley Lake, CA
  14. 2.5 8km NW of Dunnigan, CA
  15. 1.8 6km ESE of Clearlake Oaks, 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.