QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8md

Earthquake near Burney, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Burney in the 24 hours to 6:32 am PST (14:32 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 11 km (7 mi) ESE, at 3:08 am PDT on 17 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Burney

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 25 km (16 mi) southeast of Burney, CA, at 8:17 am PDT on 5 August 2023 (15:17 UTC), 12 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 25 km SE of Burney, CA

8:17 am PDT, Aug 5, 2023 · · 12 km deep · released about 420 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Shasta County 48 kmLassen County 72 kmTehama County 91 kmPlumas County 97 kmButte County 116 kmModoc County 117 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
8:17 am PDT on 5 August 2023 ()
Where
25 km (16 mi) southeast of Burney, CA · earthquakes near Burney
Magnitude
M 2.8 (md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Shasta County, 48 km W
Nearest mapped fault
Hat Creek fault, 5 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 1132 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 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Burney, 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 420 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 36,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 26,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.3× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 420 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.5 15 km NE of Mineral, California · 29 km S 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 40.7073, -121.4730. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Shasta County, CA 48 km (30 mi) W earthquakes near Shasta County
Lassen County, CA 72 km (45 mi) E earthquakes near Lassen County
Tehama County, CA 91 km (57 mi) SW earthquakes near Tehama County
Plumas County, CA 97 km (60 mi) SE earthquakes near Plumas County
Butte County, CA 116 km (72 mi) S earthquakes near Butte County
Modoc County, CA 117 km (73 mi) NNE earthquakes near Modoc County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 11 km WSW of Fall River Mills, CA
  2. 1.8 10 km WSW of Fall River Mills, CA
  3. 1.5 14 km NNE of Mineral, CA
  4. 2.2 4 km ESE of Round Mountain, CA
  5. 1.5 14 km NNE of Mineral, CA
  6. 1.6 22 km NNE of Chester, CA
  7. 1.9 12 km WSW of Fall River Mills, CA
  8. 1.8 7 km NE of Burney, CA
  9. 2.8 8 km W of Fall River Mills, CA
  10. 1.8 11 km WSW of Fall River Mills, CA
  11. 1.9 8 km NE of Burney, CA
  12. 1.9 2 km SW of Chester, CA
  13. 1.9 8 km NE of Burney, CA
  14. 2.1 8 km NE of Burney, CA
  15. 2.0 11 km WSW of Fall River Mills, 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.