QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7md

Earthquake near Mendota, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Mendota in the 24 hours to 11:32 pm PST (07:32 UTC). The last one was M 3.9, 74 km (46 mi) WSW, at 3:19 am PDT on 11 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 34 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Mendota

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 30 km (19 mi) south-southwest of Mendota, CA, at 10:06 am PST on 26 February 2024 (18:06 UTC), 15 km deep.

USGS: 13 km W of Cantua Creek, CA

67 km (42 mi) WSW of Fresno, CA

10:06 am PST, Feb 26, 2024 · · 15 km deep · released about 10 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Benito County 58 kmKings County 74 kmFresno County 77 kmMerced County 82 kmMonterey County 82 kmMadera County 102 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
10:06 am PST on 26 February 2024 ()
Where
30 km (19 mi) south-southwest of Mendota, CA · earthquakes near Mendota
Magnitude
M 1.7 (md)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Benito County, 58 km WNW
Nearest mapped fault
Great Valley thrust fault system, 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 981 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 Mendota, 30 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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: San Joaquin.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 10 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 92× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 10 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 14 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 The 1983 Coalinga, California Earthquake · 32 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 Northwest of Huron, California · 13 km W of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 29 km NE of San Lucas, California · 35 km SW of this epicentre
  4. 5.6 8 km SW of Huron, California · 47 km SE of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 11 km NNE of Coalinga, California · 33 km SSE 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 36.4920, -120.4560. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Benito County, CA 58 km (36 mi) WNW earthquakes near San Benito County
Kings County, CA 74 km (46 mi) SE earthquakes near Kings County
Fresno County, CA 77 km (48 mi) ENE earthquakes near Fresno County
Merced County, CA 82 km (51 mi) NNW earthquakes near Merced County
Monterey County, CA 82 km (51 mi) WSW earthquakes near Monterey County
Madera County, CA 102 km (63 mi) NE earthquakes near Madera County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 23 km NE of San Ardo, CA
  2. 1.6 24 km SE of Pinnacles, CA
  3. 1.8 23 km ENE of Pinnacles, CA
  4. 1.6 13 km NE of Coalinga, CA
  5. 2.1 18 km SSW of New Idria, CA
  6. 2.1 11 km NE of Coalinga, CA
  7. 1.7 9 km WNW of New Idria, CA
  8. 2.5 15 km W of Cantua Creek, CA
  9. 1.7 15 km W of Cantua Creek, CA
  10. 2.5 15 km W of Cantua Creek, CA
  11. 2.4 12 km NE of Coalinga, CA
  12. 2.9 13 km NE of Coalinga, CA
  13. 1.5 4 km SSW of New Idria, CA
  14. 1.7 12 km NE of Coalinga, CA
  15. 2.3 12 km NE of Coalinga, 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.