QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7md

Earthquake near Madera, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Madera in the 24 hours to 2:38 am PST (10:38 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 5 km (3 mi) WNW, at 5:14 am PDT on 29 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Madera

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 39 km (24 mi) north-northeast of Madera, CA, at 5:02 am PST on 4 December 2024 (13:02 UTC), 21 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 19 km SSW of Bootjack, CA

59 km (37 mi) NNW of Fresno, CA · 39 km (24 mi) NNE of Madera, CA

5:02 am PST, Dec 4, 2024 · · 21 km deep · released about 320 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Madera County 21 kmMariposa County 31 kmFresno County 66 kmMerced County 69 kmTuolumne County 80 kmStanislaus County 97 kmCalaveras County 112 kmMono County 117 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 am PST on 4 December 2024 ()
Where
39 km (24 mi) north-northeast of Madera, CA · earthquakes near Madera
Magnitude
M 2.7 (md)
Depth
21 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Madera County, 21 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 696 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 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Madera, 39 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: Yosemite Lakes, Mariposa, Ahwahnee, Coarsegold, Le Grand, Midpines.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 320 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 48,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 34,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 320 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 37.3010, -119.9567. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Madera County, CA 21 km (13 mi) ESE earthquakes near Madera County
Mariposa County, CA 31 km (19 mi) N earthquakes near Mariposa County
Fresno County, CA 66 km (41 mi) SSE earthquakes near Fresno County
Merced County, CA 69 km (43 mi) W earthquakes near Merced County
Tuolumne County, CA 80 km (50 mi) N earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Stanislaus County, CA 97 km (60 mi) WNW earthquakes near Stanislaus 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. 2.1 7 km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  2. 2.3 11 km S of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  3. 2.3 1 km W of Madera, CA
  4. 1.8 12 km NNW of Friant, CA
  5. 1.9 10 km SSW of Mariposa, CA
  6. 2.0 2 km ESE of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  7. 2.4 10 km S of Mariposa, CA
  8. 2.5 3 km SE of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  9. 2.5 2 km WNW of North Fork, CA
  10. 2.1 13 km S of Mariposa, CA
  11. 2.8 9 km SSW of Mariposa, CA
  12. 2.2 9 km SSW of Mariposa, CA
  13. 2.0 13 km WSW of Madera, CA
  14. 1.9 6 km SSW of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  15. 2.1 10 km W of Madera, 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.