QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Yosemite Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Yosemite Valley in the 24 hours to 12:55 pm PST (20:55 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 22 km (14 mi) SE, at 7:51 am PDT on 28 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Yosemite Valley

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 19 km (12 mi) south of Yosemite Valley, CA, at 3:14 pm PDT on 14 October 2023 (22:14 UTC), 13 km deep.

USGS: 19 km S of Yosemite Valley, CA

90 km (56 mi) NNE of Fresno, CA

3:14 pm PDT, Oct 14, 2023 · · 13 km deep · released about 8.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mariposa County 31 kmMadera County 44 kmTuolumne County 62 kmMono County 71 kmFresno County 90 kmMerced County 111 kmCalaveras County 111 kmAlpine County 119 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
3:14 pm PDT on 14 October 2023 ()
Where
19 km (12 mi) south of Yosemite Valley, CA · earthquakes near Yosemite Valley
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Mariposa County, 31 km W
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1125 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Yosemite Valley, 19 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: Ahwahnee, Oakhurst.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 110× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.4 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 37.5705, -119.5563. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mariposa County, CA 31 km (19 mi) W earthquakes near Mariposa County
Madera County, CA 44 km (27 mi) SSW earthquakes near Madera County
Tuolumne County, CA 62 km (38 mi) NW earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Mono County, CA 71 km (44 mi) ENE earthquakes near Mono County
Fresno County, CA 90 km (56 mi) S earthquakes near Fresno County
Merced County, CA 111 km (69 mi) WSW earthquakes near Merced County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 17 km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  2. 3.0 16 km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  3. 2.3 20 km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  4. 2.7 9 km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  5. 2.2 11 km SSW of Mariposa, CA
  6. 2.4 9 km SSW of Mariposa, CA
  7. 1.8 9 km ESE of North Fork, CA
  8. 2.0 23 km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  9. 2.1 27 km SSW of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  10. 2.4 7 km SSW of Mariposa, CA
  11. 2.2 28 km ENE of Oakhurst, CA
  12. 2.3 10 km SSW of Mariposa, CA
  13. 1.7 21 km SSE of Yosemite Valley, CA
  14. 2.2 1 km ENE of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  15. 1.8 5 km E of Yosemite Lakes, 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.