QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7md

Earthquake near Madera, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Madera in the 24 hours to 3:31 pm PST (23:31 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 5 km (3 mi) WNW, at 5:14 am PDT on 29 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Madera

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 46 km (29 mi) north-northeast of Madera, CA, at 10:41 am PDT on 31 July 2021 (17:41 UTC), 29 km deep.

USGS: 12km S of Bootjack, CA

64 km (40 mi) N of Fresno, CA · 47 km (29 mi) NNE of Madera, CA

10:41 am PDT, Jul 31, 2021 · · 29 km deep · released about 9.3 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Madera County 20 kmMariposa County 25 kmFresno County 69 kmTuolumne County 75 kmMerced County 77 kmStanislaus County 102 kmMono County 108 kmCalaveras County 111 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
10:41 am PDT on 31 July 2021 ()
Where
46 km (29 mi) north-northeast of Madera, CA · earthquakes near Madera
Magnitude
M 1.7 (md)
Depth
29 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Madera County, 20 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1926 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 Madera, 46 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: Ahwahnee, Mariposa, Coarsegold, Yosemite Lakes, Oakhurst, Midpines.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 9.3 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 100× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 9.3 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 37.3527, -119.8782. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Madera County, CA 20 km (12 mi) SE earthquakes near Madera County
Mariposa County, CA 25 km (15 mi) N earthquakes near Mariposa County
Fresno County, CA 69 km (43 mi) SSE earthquakes near Fresno County
Tuolumne County, CA 75 km (46 mi) N earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Merced County, CA 77 km (48 mi) WSW earthquakes near Merced County
Stanislaus County, CA 102 km (63 mi) WNW earthquakes near Stanislaus County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 21km SSW of Mariposa, CA
  2. 1.6 1km WSW of Auberry, CA
  3. 1.7 21km E of Le Grand, CA
  4. 1.9 6km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  5. 2.1 19km SSW of Mariposa, CA
  6. 1.7 20km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  7. 2.0 7km NE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  8. 2.0 17km SSW of Bootjack, CA
  9. 2.0 8km W of North Fork, CA
  10. 2.2 7km SE of Fairmead, CA
  11. 2.1 12km WNW of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  12. 2.1 19km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  13. 2.5 18km SSW of Mariposa, CA
  14. 1.5 7km NE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  15. 1.9 4km NE of Fairmead, 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.