QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Yosemite Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Yosemite Valley in the 24 hours to 9:09 am PST (17:09 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 22 km (14 mi) SE, at 7:51 am PDT on 28 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Yosemite Valley

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) east-southeast of Yosemite Valley, CA, at 1:39 am PST on 27 February 2022 (09:39 UTC), 15 km deep.

USGS: 16km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA

1:39 am PST, Feb 27, 2022 · · 15 km deep · released about 43 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mariposa County 46 kmMono County 53 kmMadera County 61 kmTuolumne County 61 kmFresno County 105 kmAlpine County 109 kmCalaveras County 115 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
1:39 am PST on 27 February 2022 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) east-southeast of Yosemite Valley, CA · earthquakes near Yosemite Valley
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Mariposa County, 46 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1719 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 9 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Yosemite Valley, 16 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 43 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 43 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 8 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.0 7 km ENE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 45 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 8 km NNE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 43 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 11 km SE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 49 km ESE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 3 km NE of Mono City, California · 49 km NNE of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 12 km SE of Mammoth Lakes, California · 49 km ESE 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 37.6870, -119.4093. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mariposa County, CA 46 km (29 mi) WSW earthquakes near Mariposa County
Mono County, CA 53 km (33 mi) ENE earthquakes near Mono County
Madera County, CA 61 km (38 mi) SSW earthquakes near Madera County
Tuolumne County, CA 61 km (38 mi) NW earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Fresno County, CA 105 km (65 mi) SSW earthquakes near Fresno County
Alpine County, CA 109 km (68 mi) NNW earthquakes near Alpine County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 9km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  2. 1.6 10km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  3. 1.5 8km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  4. 1.8 9km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  5. 1.8 8km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  6. 1.8 8km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  7. 2.6 9km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  8. 1.7 8km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  9. 2.3 8km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  10. 2.7 8km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  11. 2.6 9km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  12. 2.2 8km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  13. 2.0 8km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  14. 1.9 9km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  15. 1.9 8km E of Mammoth Lakes, 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.