QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7md

Earthquake near Paradise, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Paradise in the 24 hours to 5:08 am PST (13:08 UTC). The last one was M 5.6, 145 km (90 mi) WSW, at 8:10 am PDT on 24 June 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 5,311 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Paradise

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 44 km (28 mi) north-northeast of Paradise, CA, at 8:07 am PDT on 20 October 2022 (15:07 UTC), 14 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 18km NW of Belden, CA

54 km (33 mi) NE of Chico, CA · 147 km (91 mi) WNW of Reno, NV

8:07 am PDT, Oct 20, 2022 · · 14 km deep · released about 320 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Plumas County 51 kmButte County 54 kmTehama County 71 kmShasta County 89 kmLassen County 93 kmYuba County 95 kmSierra County 96 kmGlenn County 103 kmNevada County 106 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
8:07 am PDT on 20 October 2022 ()
Where
44 km (28 mi) north-northeast of Paradise, CA · earthquakes near Paradise
Magnitude
M 2.7 (md)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Plumas County, 51 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Almanor fault, 25 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1412 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, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In Paradise, 44 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: Chester.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 320 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 48,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 34,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 320 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. 5.7 2 km NNE of Canyondam, California · 30 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 15 km NE of Mineral, California · 37 km N 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 40.1222, -121.4010. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Plumas County, CA 51 km (32 mi) ESE earthquakes near Plumas County
Butte County, CA 54 km (33 mi) SSW earthquakes near Butte County
Tehama County, CA 71 km (44 mi) W earthquakes near Tehama County
Shasta County, CA 89 km (56 mi) NW earthquakes near Shasta County
Lassen County, CA 93 km (58 mi) NE earthquakes near Lassen County
Yuba County, CA 95 km (59 mi) S earthquakes near Yuba County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 2km N of Prattville, CA
  2. 2.4 4km NW of Canyondam, CA
  3. 1.9 4km NNE of Prattville, CA
  4. 2.3 2km NE of Almanor, CA
  5. 2.4 2km NE of Almanor, CA
  6. 2.0 4km ESE of Prattville, CA
  7. 2.8 2km NNE of Prattville, CA
  8. 2.4 4km E of Prattville, CA
  9. 2.1 3km ENE of Prattville, CA
  10. 2.1 4km E of Prattville, CA
  11. 3.0 1km N of Prattville, CA
  12. 2.5 1km ENE of Almanor, CA
  13. 2.6 4km E of Prattville, CA
  14. 2.4 3km E of Prattville, CA
  15. 2.6 3km SSW of East Shore, 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.