QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8md

Earthquake near Midpines, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Midpines in the 24 hours to 5:13 am PST (13:13 UTC). The last one was M 5.2, 210 km (131 mi) NNE, at 1:17 am PDT on 1 May 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,875 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Midpines

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 14 km (9 mi) east-northeast of Midpines, CA, at 7:35 pm PDT on 17 September 2022 (02:35 UTC), 32 km deep. 12 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 14km ENE of Midpines, CA

92 km (57 mi) N of Fresno, CA

7:35 pm PDT, Sep 17, 2022 · · 32 km deep · released about 530 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mariposa County 12 kmMadera County 45 kmTuolumne County 48 kmMono County 87 kmCalaveras County 93 kmMerced County 95 kmFresno County 95 kmStanislaus County 107 kmAlpine County 113 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
7:35 pm PDT on 17 September 2022 ()
Where
14 km (9 mi) east-northeast of Midpines, CA · earthquakes near Midpines
Magnitude
M 2.8 (md)
Depth
32 km below the surface
Felt
12 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Mariposa County, 12 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1447 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Midpines, 14 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: Mariposa, Yosemite Valley, Ahwahnee.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 530 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 29,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 20,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 530 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 37.6095, -119.7873. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mariposa County, CA 12 km (7 mi) WSW earthquakes near Mariposa County
Madera County, CA 45 km (28 mi) S earthquakes near Madera County
Tuolumne County, CA 48 km (30 mi) NNW earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Mono County, CA 87 km (54 mi) ENE earthquakes near Mono County
Calaveras County, CA 93 km (58 mi) NW earthquakes near Calaveras County
Merced County, CA 95 km (59 mi) WSW earthquakes near Merced County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 11km SSW of Mariposa, CA
  2. 2.1 11km SSW of Mariposa, CA
  3. 2.0 2km WSW of Oakhurst, CA
  4. 1.9 12km S of Mariposa, CA
  5. 1.6 9km W of Ahwahnee, CA
  6. 2.3 21km SSW of Mariposa, CA
  7. 2.1 16km E of Yosemite Valley, CA
  8. 1.6 29km NE of Oakhurst, CA
  9. 1.7 22km SSE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  10. 2.4 21km ESE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  11. 1.8 16km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  12. 3.4 21km ENE of Le Grand, CA
  13. 2.4 21km S of Mariposa, CA
  14. 1.8 14km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  15. 1.8 28km NE of Oakhurst, 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.