QuakeIndex

Earthquake · automatic estimate, may change

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Quincy, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Quincy in the 24 hours to 7:41 am PST (15:41 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 7 km (4 mi) NE, at 5:11 am PST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Quincy

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 17 km (11 mi) northwest of Quincy, CA, at 5:02 pm PST on 21 January 2024 (01:02 UTC), 13 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS. The magnitude and location are an automatic first estimate and may change.

USGS: 6 km W of Twain, CA

5:02 pm PST, Jan 21, 2024 · · 13 km deep · released about 51 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Plumas County 25 kmButte County 58 kmSierra County 71 kmNevada County 86 kmYuba County 86 kmLassen County 88 kmTehama County 96 kmPlacer County 112 kmShasta County 113 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
5:02 pm PST on 21 January 2024 ()
Where
17 km (11 mi) northwest of Quincy, CA · earthquakes near Quincy
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Plumas County, 25 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Almanor fault, 15 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Automatic — a machine’s first estimate, which may change

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1025 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Quincy, 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: Greenville, East Quincy.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 51 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 210,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 19× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 51 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 5.5 on 2023-05-11 — about 99,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.7 2 km NNE of Canyondam, California · 19 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 3 km N of Blairsden, California · 49 km ESE 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 40.0237, -121.1162. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Plumas County, CA 25 km (16 mi) E earthquakes near Plumas County
Butte County, CA 58 km (36 mi) SW earthquakes near Butte County
Sierra County, CA 71 km (44 mi) SE earthquakes near Sierra County
Nevada County, CA 86 km (53 mi) SSE earthquakes near Nevada County
Yuba County, CA 86 km (53 mi) SSW earthquakes near Yuba County
Lassen County, CA 88 km (54 mi) NNE earthquakes near Lassen County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 24 km NNE of Forest Ranch, CA
  2. 1.7 1 km ENE of Prattville, CA
  3. 2.1 0 km SSE of Prattville, CA
  4. 2.1 3 km NE of Almanor, CA
  5. 2.5 1 km ENE of Prattville, CA
  6. 2.6 4 km S of Caribou, CA
  7. 1.7 15 km SSE of Mineral, CA
  8. 2.2 15 km SSE of Mineral, CA
  9. 2.4 1 km N of Almanor, CA
  10. 2.1 4 km WNW of Canyondam, CA
  11. 2.6 4 km WNW of Canyondam, CA
  12. 2.1 3 km NNE of Prattville, CA
  13. 2.3 3 km E of Prattville, CA
  14. 1.9 3 km WSW of Chester, CA
  15. 2.1 1 km W of Canyondam, 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.