QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Shingletown, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Shingletown in the 24 hours to 3:13 am PST (11:13 UTC). The last one was M 5.6, 170 km (106 mi) SW, at 8:10 am PDT on 24 June 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 5,311 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Shingletown

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) west-southwest of Shingletown, CA, at 6:05 am PST on 23 December 2021 (14:05 UTC), 13 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7km WSW of Shingletown, CA

81 km (50 mi) N of Chico, CA · 35 km (22 mi) ESE of Redding, CA

6:05 am PST, Dec 23, 2021 · · 13 km deep · released about 6.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Shasta County 32 kmTehama County 45 kmButte County 95 kmTrinity County 98 kmGlenn County 104 kmPlumas County 111 kmLassen County 117 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
6:05 am PST on 23 December 2021 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) west-southwest of Shingletown, CA · earthquakes near Shingletown
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Shasta County, 32 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1779 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 Shingletown, 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: Palo Cedro, Anderson, Bella Vista.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,700,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 150× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 6.4 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 lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.5 15 km NE of Mineral, California · 43 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 7km NW of Redding, CA · 41 km WNW of this epicentre

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 40.4755, -121.9718. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Shasta County, CA 32 km (20 mi) N earthquakes near Shasta County
Tehama County, CA 45 km (28 mi) SSW earthquakes near Tehama County
Butte County, CA 95 km (59 mi) SSE earthquakes near Butte County
Trinity County, CA 98 km (61 mi) WNW earthquakes near Trinity County
Glenn County, CA 104 km (64 mi) SSW earthquakes near Glenn County
Plumas County, CA 111 km (69 mi) ESE earthquakes near Plumas County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 14km ENE of Red Bluff, CA
  2. 1.6 9km NE of Shasta Lake, CA
  3. 1.5 18km ESE of Anderson, CA
  4. 2.6 12km W of Shingletown, CA
  5. 1.8 6km SW of Shasta Lake, CA
  6. 1.9 17km WSW of Manton, CA
  7. 1.7 13km NNE of Shingletown, CA
  8. 1.6 8km NE of Shasta Lake, CA
  9. 1.9 13km ESE of Viola, CA
  10. 1.7 4km SW of Millville, CA
  11. 1.6 15km E of Viola, CA
  12. 1.8 4km NNE of Viola, CA
  13. 1.8 24km S of Manton, CA
  14. 1.6 9km NE of Shasta Lake, CA
  15. 1.6 16km SSE of Manton, 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.