QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Auberry, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Auberry in the 24 hours to 10:19 am PST (18:19 UTC). The last one was M 5.7, 254 km (158 mi) N, at 6:29 pm PDT on 13 April 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 6,515 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Auberry

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded in Auberry, CA, at 3:38 pm PDT on 18 March 2022 (22:38 UTC), 18 km deep.

USGS: 1km WSW of Auberry, CA

42 km (26 mi) NE of Fresno, CA · 32 km (20 mi) NNE of Clovis, CA

3:38 pm PDT, Mar 18, 2022 · · 18 km deep · released about 9 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Madera County 27 kmFresno County 38 kmMariposa County 66 kmMono County 108 kmMerced County 109 kmTuolumne County 113 kmTulare County 114 kmKings 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
3:38 pm PDT on 18 March 2022 ()
Where
in Auberry, CA · earthquakes near Auberry
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Madera County, 27 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1700 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. 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: Coarsegold, Yosemite Lakes.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 9 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,700,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,200,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 110× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 9 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 37.0782, -119.4993. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Madera County, CA 27 km (17 mi) WNW earthquakes near Madera County
Fresno County, CA 38 km (24 mi) SSW earthquakes near Fresno County
Mariposa County, CA 66 km (41 mi) NNW earthquakes near Mariposa County
Mono County, CA 108 km (67 mi) NNE earthquakes near Mono County
Merced County, CA 109 km (68 mi) W earthquakes near Merced County
Tuolumne County, CA 113 km (70 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tuolumne County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 7km NE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  2. 2.5 24km ENE of Oakhurst, CA
  3. 1.5 32km NE of North Fork, CA
  4. 1.7 29km NE of Oakhurst, CA
  5. 1.7 29km NE of Oakhurst, CA
  6. 1.7 6km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  7. 2.1 12km SSW of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  8. 2.1 6km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  9. 2.5 28km NE of Oakhurst, CA
  10. 1.6 29km NE of Oakhurst, CA
  11. 1.8 12km NW of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  12. 1.9 6km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  13. 2.0 4km SE of Shaver Lake, CA
  14. 1.7 5km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  15. 1.8 5km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, 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.