Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.2md
Earthquake near Fresno, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Fresno in the 24 hours to 1:42 pm PST (21:42 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 2.2 earthquake was recorded 36 km (23 mi) east of Fresno, CA, at 3:39 pm PST on 23 December 2021 (23:39 UTC), 19 km deep.
USGS: 11km WSW of Squaw Valley, CA
39 km (24 mi) E of Fresno, CA · 31 km (19 mi) ESE of Clovis, CA
- When
- 3:39 pm PST on 23 December 2021 ()
- Where
- 36 km (23 mi) east of Fresno, CA · earthquakes near Fresno
- Magnitude
- M 2.2 (md)
- Depth
- 19 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Fresno County, 26 km W
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1785 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Fresno, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Fresno, CA. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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, 36 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: Minkler, Yokuts Valley, Orange Cove, Reedley, Sanger, Parlier.
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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 290,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 200,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 18× the energy of this one
- 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 36.7180, -119.3668. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno County, CA | 26 km (16 mi) | W | earthquakes near Fresno County |
| Madera County, CA | 64 km (40 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Madera County |
| Tulare County, CA | 76 km (47 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Tulare County |
| Kings County, CA | 82 km (51 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Kings County |
| Mariposa County, CA | 107 km (66 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Mariposa County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
18 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.3 6 km ESE of Orange Cove, CA
- 2.6 6 km ENE of Orange Cove, CA
- 1.9 7 km NE of Shaver Lake, CA
- 2.2 5 km NW of Friant, CA
- 2.0 5 km NW of Fresno, CA
- 1.9 12 km W of Auberry, CA
- 1.9 7 km NNE of Friant, CA
- 2.4 22 km SE of Shaver Lake, CA
- 2.2 6 km ESE of Orange Cove, CA
- 2.1 3km ESE of Orange Cove, CA
- 2.0 4km SE of Shaver Lake, CA
- 2.2 3km NW of Sanger, CA
- 2.5 4km E of Orange Cove, CA
- 2.0 6km NW of Friant, CA
- 2.3 13km NW of Squaw 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.