QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9md

Earthquake near Bishop, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Bishop in the 24 hours to 5:30 am PST (13:30 UTC). The last one was M 2.0, 9 km (5 mi) NW, at 9:02 pm PDT on 30 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Bishop

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 22 km (14 mi) north-northwest of Bishop, CA, at 4:30 am PST on 13 November 2023 (12:30 UTC), 11 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 18 km E of Toms Place, CA

4:30 am PST, Nov 13, 2023 · · 11 km deep · released about 720 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mono County 54 kmEsmeralda County 78 kmMineral County 108 kmMadera 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
4:30 am PST on 13 November 2023 ()
Where
22 km (14 mi) north-northwest of Bishop, CA · earthquakes near Bishop
Magnitude
M 2.9 (md)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Mono County, 54 km NW
Nearest mapped fault
Fish Slough fault, 6 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 1021 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 31 km (19 mi) from the epicentre. In Bishop, 22 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.

Likely felt in: Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek 19 km, intensity II · West Bishop 21 km, intensity II · Bishop 22 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 720 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 21,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 15,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.3× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 720 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.8 on 2016-02-16 — about 600 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 42 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1986 Chalfant Valley, California Earthquake · 3 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 6.2 9 km SW of Aspen Springs, California · 30 km W of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 11 km WNW of Aspen Springs, California · 32 km W of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 8 km W of Aspen Springs, California · 29 km W of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 4 km NNW of Round Valley, California · 15 km SW 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 37.5488, -118.4748. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mono County, CA 54 km (33 mi) NW earthquakes near Mono County
Esmeralda County, NV 78 km (49 mi) ENE earthquakes near Esmeralda County
Mineral County, NV 108 km (67 mi) N earthquakes near Mineral County
Madera County, CA 119 km (74 mi) WSW earthquakes near Madera County
Fresno County, CA 136 km (85 mi) SW earthquakes near Fresno County
Inyo County, CA 145 km (90 mi) SE earthquakes near Inyo 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. 1.7 5 km NNW of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA
  2. 1.7 1 km NW of Toms Place, CA
  3. 1.7 24 km SW of Toms Place, CA
  4. 1.5 5 km N of Round Valley, CA
  5. 1.6 7 km WSW of Round Valley, CA
  6. 2.7 4 km E of Round Valley, CA
  7. 1.9 5 km ESE of Round Valley, CA
  8. 1.6 2 km WSW of Big Pine, California
  9. 2.0 13 km WSW of Toms Place, CA
  10. 3.5 4 km E of Round Valley, CA
  11. 1.6 17 km SE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  12. 1.6 7 km ESE of Wilkerson, CA
  13. 1.6 16 km WSW of Toms Place, CA
  14. 1.7 16 km WSW of Toms Place, CA
  15. 2.8 12 km ESE of Mammoth 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.