QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.3ml

Earthquake near Avenal, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Avenal in the 24 hours to 10:27 pm PST (06:27 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 7 km (4 mi) NW, at 12:34 am PDT on 18 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Avenal

This page: a magnitude 4.3 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) north-northwest of Avenal, CA, at 4:17 pm PST on 13 February 2025 (00:17 UTC), 12 km deep. 41 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 10 km NNW of Avenal, CA

85 km (53 mi) SSW of Fresno, CA · 55 km (34 mi) WSW of Hanford, CA

4:17 pm PST, Feb 13, 2025 · · 12 km deep · released about 36 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Avenal Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kings County 33 kmSan Luis Obispo County 81 kmFresno County 89 kmSan Benito County 100 kmMonterey County 103 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
4:17 pm PST on 13 February 2025 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) north-northwest of Avenal, CA · earthquakes near Avenal
Magnitude
M 4.3 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
41 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Kings County, 33 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Great Valley thrust fault system, 7 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 118 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 116 km (72 mi) from the epicentre. In Avenal, 10 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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: Avenal 10 km, intensity IV · Huron 15 km, intensity IV · Coalinga 17 km, intensity III · Kettleman City 22 km, intensity III · Lemoore 43 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 36 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 4,700× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 210× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 150× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.3 about 36 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 75× more

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 4.3 on 2019-12-17 — about 1.1 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 17 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 The 1983 Coalinga, California Earthquake · 20 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 1922 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 37 km S of this epicentre
  3. 6.4 1901 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 30 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 2004 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 34 km SSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.6 8 km SW of Huron, California · 7 km NNE 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 36.0827, -120.1838. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kings County, CA 33 km (21 mi) E earthquakes near Kings County
San Luis Obispo County, CA 81 km (50 mi) SSW earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County
Fresno County, CA 89 km (55 mi) NNE earthquakes near Fresno County
San Benito County, CA 100 km (62 mi) NW earthquakes near San Benito County
Monterey County, CA 103 km (64 mi) W earthquakes near Monterey County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.4 7 km NW of Parkfield, CA
  2. 1.6 8 km SE of New Idria, CA
  3. 1.8 24 km SSE of Kettleman City, CA
  4. 1.6 9 km NW of Avenal, CA
  5. 1.8 13 km WSW of Cantua Creek, CA
  6. 2.2 17 km SSW of Kettleman City, CA
  7. 1.9 18 km NW of Parkfield, CA
  8. 1.7 23 km NNW of Parkfield, CA
  9. 2.1 9 km NNW of Avenal, CA
  10. 2.6 23 km NNW of Parkfield, CA
  11. 1.8 14 km NW of Parkfield, CA
  12. 1.9 12 km ESE of Parkfield, CA
  13. 2.0 18 km NW of Parkfield, CA
  14. 1.9 5 km NW of Parkfield, CA
  15. 2.0 3 km WSW of Lanare, 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.