QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Red Bluff, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Red Bluff in the 24 hours to 3:41 am PST (11:41 UTC). The last one was M 4.0, 97 km (60 mi) SW, at 5:01 am PDT on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 14 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Red Bluff

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 25 km (15 mi) west-northwest of Red Bluff, CA, at 5:35 pm PST on 2 December 2022 (01:35 UTC), 17 km deep.

USGS: 25km WNW of Red Bluff, CA

80 km (50 mi) NW of Chico, CA · 38 km (24 mi) SSW of Redding, CA

5:35 pm PST, Dec 2, 2022 · · 17 km deep · released about 77 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Tehama County 27 kmTrinity County 68 kmShasta County 70 kmGlenn County 72 kmButte County 101 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
5:35 pm PST on 2 December 2022 ()
Where
25 km (15 mi) west-northwest of Red Bluff, CA · earthquakes near Red Bluff
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
17 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Tehama County, 27 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1440 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 8 km (5 mi) from the epicentre. In Red Bluff, 25 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: Rancho Tehama Reserve, Anderson.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 77 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 140,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 12× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 77 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. 5.5 33 km NW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, California · 17 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 7km NW of Redding, CA · 43 km NNE 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 40.2450, -122.5158. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Tehama County, CA 27 km (17 mi) ESE earthquakes near Tehama County
Trinity County, CA 68 km (42 mi) NW earthquakes near Trinity County
Shasta County, CA 70 km (43 mi) NE earthquakes near Shasta County
Glenn County, CA 72 km (45 mi) S earthquakes near Glenn County
Butte County, CA 101 km (63 mi) SE earthquakes near Butte County
Mendocino County, CA 120 km (75 mi) SW earthquakes near Mendocino County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 41 km ENE of Covelo, CA
  2. 2.7 10 km ESE of Red Bluff, CA
  3. 2.1 13 km SE of Anderson, CA
  4. 1.6 12 km ESE of Millville, CA
  5. 2.0 6 km WNW of Palo Cedro, CA
  6. 1.8 4 km WNW of Shasta Lake, CA
  7. 1.8 10 km WSW of Manton, CA
  8. 1.9 18 km SW of Manton, CA
  9. 1.9 19 km SW of Manton, CA
  10. 2.3 19 km NE of Red Bluff, CA
  11. 1.9 14 km W of Shingletown, CA
  12. 1.6 14 km SSE of Millville, CA
  13. 1.9 3 km S of Shasta Lake, CA
  14. 1.9 25 km WSW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, CA
  15. 1.5 6 km N of Millville, 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.