QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2md

Earthquake near Oakhurst, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Oakhurst in the 24 hours to 12:15 pm PST (20:15 UTC). The last one was M 5.7, 230 km (143 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 Oakhurst

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) north-northeast of Oakhurst, CA, at 12:09 pm PDT on 20 March 2021 (19:09 UTC), 49 km deep.

USGS: 7km NNE of Oakhurst, CA

68 km (43 mi) NNE of Fresno, CA

12:09 pm PDT, Mar 20, 2021 · · 49 km deep · released about 52 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Madera County 22 kmMariposa County 34 kmFresno County 69 kmTuolumne County 77 kmMono County 88 kmMerced County 100 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
12:09 pm PDT on 20 March 2021 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) north-northeast of Oakhurst, CA · earthquakes near Oakhurst
Magnitude
M 2.2 (md)
Depth
49 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Madera County, 22 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2061 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 Oakhurst, 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: Ahwahnee, Coarsegold, Yosemite Lakes.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 52 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 5.8 290,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 200,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 18× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 52 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 37.3822, -119.6172. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Madera County, CA 22 km (14 mi) SSW earthquakes near Madera County
Mariposa County, CA 34 km (21 mi) NW earthquakes near Mariposa County
Fresno County, CA 69 km (43 mi) S earthquakes near Fresno County
Tuolumne County, CA 77 km (48 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Mono County, CA 88 km (55 mi) NE earthquakes near Mono County
Merced County, CA 100 km (62 mi) WSW earthquakes near Merced County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 22km NE of North Fork, CA
  2. 2.2 29km NE of Oakhurst, CA
  3. 1.7 20km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  4. 2.2 5km SW of North Fork, CA
  5. 1.6 15km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  6. 2.1 18km SSW of Mariposa, CA
  7. 1.9 19km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  8. 1.9 1km SW of Mariposa, CA
  9. 1.6 21km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  10. 2.1 29km ENE of Oakhurst, CA
  11. 1.5 29km NE of Oakhurst, CA
  12. 1.5 29km NE of Oakhurst, CA
  13. 1.9 23km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  14. 1.9 7km NE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  15. 1.7 23km ESE of Yosemite Valley, 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.