QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5md

Earthquake near Dunsmuir, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Dunsmuir in the 24 hours to 4:32 am PST (12:32 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 7 km (5 mi) SSW, at 5:17 pm PDT on 19 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Dunsmuir

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 17 km (11 mi) south-southeast of Dunsmuir, CA, at 10:42 am PDT on 5 May 2023 (17:42 UTC), 11 km deep.

USGS: 17km SSE of Dunsmuir, CA

58 km (36 mi) NNE of Redding, CA · 149 km (92 mi) NNW of Chico, CA

10:42 am PDT, May 5, 2023 · · 11 km deep · released about 160 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Shasta County 36 kmSiskiyou County 65 kmTrinity County 92 kmTehama County 105 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
10:42 am PDT on 5 May 2023 ()
Where
17 km (11 mi) south-southeast of Dunsmuir, CA · earthquakes near Dunsmuir
Magnitude
M 2.5 (md)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Shasta County, 36 km SSE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1216 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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Dunsmuir, 17 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: McCloud, Mount Shasta.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 160 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 92,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 65,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 160 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 41.0692, -122.1790. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Shasta County, CA 36 km (22 mi) SSE earthquakes near Shasta County
Siskiyou County, CA 65 km (40 mi) NNW earthquakes near Siskiyou County
Trinity County, CA 92 km (57 mi) WSW earthquakes near Trinity County
Tehama County, CA 105 km (65 mi) S earthquakes near Tehama County
Plumas County, CA 166 km (103 mi) SE earthquakes near Plumas County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 8 km NE of Big Bend, CA
  2. 1.8 8 km NW of McCloud, CA
  3. 1.5 9 km NE of Shasta Lake, CA
  4. 1.9 3 km NW of Shasta Lake, CA
  5. 2.4 11 km NE of Shasta Lake, CA
  6. 1.8 4 km WNW of Shasta Lake, CA
  7. 2.4 11 km WNW of Burney, CA
  8. 1.7 2 km WNW of Shasta Lake, CA
  9. 2.9 2 km NW of Shasta Lake, CA
  10. 1.9 11 km NNE of Shasta Lake, CA
  11. 1.7 9 km NE of Shasta Lake, CA
  12. 2.2 6 km SSE of McCloud, CA
  13. 1.8 20 km N of Bella Vista, CA
  14. 1.7 4 km W of Round Mountain, CA
  15. 1.9 8 km SE of Dunsmuir, 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.