QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Big Pine, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Big Pine in the 24 hours to 8:16 am PST (16:16 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 9 km (6 mi) NNE, at 10:07 am PST on 4 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Big Pine

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) southwest of Big Pine, CA, at 5:15 am PST on 25 February 2024 (13:15 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 10 km SW of Big Pine, CA

5:15 am PST, Feb 25, 2024 · · 12 km deep · released about 22 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Big Pine Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Esmeralda County 100 kmMono County 102 kmTulare County 103 kmInyo County 104 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
5:15 am PST on 25 February 2024 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) southwest of Big Pine, CA · earthquakes near Big Pine
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Esmeralda County, 100 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Southern Sierra Nevada fault, under 1 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 990 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 8 km (5 mi) from the epicentre. In Big Pine, 10 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 22 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 680,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 480,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 43× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 22 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 19,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 13 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.1 4 km NNW of Round Valley, California · 46 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 Near Bishop, California · 27 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 10 km NNE of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, California · 42 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.7 11 km NE of Mesa, California · 45 km N of this epicentre
  5. 5.6 6 km WNW of Round Valley, California · 47 km NNW 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 37.0927, -118.3602. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Esmeralda County, NV 100 km (62 mi) NE earthquakes near Esmeralda County
Mono County, CA 102 km (63 mi) NNW earthquakes near Mono County
Tulare County, CA 103 km (64 mi) SSW earthquakes near Tulare County
Inyo County, CA 104 km (64 mi) SE earthquakes near Inyo County
Fresno County, CA 121 km (75 mi) WSW earthquakes near Fresno County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 8 km NNW of Round Valley, CA
  2. 3.1 17 km SW of Round Valley, CA
  3. 1.6 14 km SSE of Big Pine, California
  4. 2.8 17 km ENE of Big Pine, CA
  5. 2.1 9 km W of West Bishop, CA
  6. 1.7 8 km W of Round Valley, CA
  7. 1.9 9 km NNE of Big Pine, CA
  8. 1.6 8 km W of Round Valley, CA
  9. 2.6 19 km W of Wilkerson, CA
  10. 1.6 9 km ENE of Big Pine, CA
  11. 1.5 8 km W of Round Valley, CA
  12. 1.6 16 km SW of Deep Springs, CA
  13. 1.6 16 km SW of Deep Springs, CA
  14. 2.7 16 km ENE of Big Pine, CA
  15. 2.3 16 km SW of Deep Springs, 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.