QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2md

Earthquake near Johnstonville, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Johnstonville in the 24 hours to 9:58 am PST (17:58 UTC). The last one was M 2.4, 18 km (11 mi) SE, at 8:04 pm PDT on 4 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Johnstonville

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) southeast of Johnstonville, CA, at 5:14 am PST on 24 February 2026 (13:14 UTC), 2.4 km deep.

USGS: 3 km SE of Johnstonville, CA

5:14 am PST, Feb 24, 2026 · · 2.4 km deep · released about 64 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lassen County 40 kmPlumas County 47 kmWashoe County 87 kmSierra County 87 kmButte County 117 kmNevada County 120 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
5:14 am PST on 24 February 2026 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) southeast of Johnstonville, CA · earthquakes near Johnstonville
Magnitude
M 2.2 (md)
Depth
2.4 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lassen County, 40 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Honey Lake fault, 2 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 253 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 19 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Johnstonville, 3 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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.

Likely felt in: Susanville 9 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 64 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 230,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 170,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 15× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 64 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 78,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.7 2 km NNE of Canyondam, California · 46 km WSW 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 40.3623, -120.5663. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lassen County, CA 40 km (25 mi) N earthquakes near Lassen County
Plumas County, CA 47 km (29 mi) SSW earthquakes near Plumas County
Washoe County, NV 87 km (54 mi) ENE earthquakes near Washoe County
Sierra County, CA 87 km (54 mi) S earthquakes near Sierra County
Butte County, CA 117 km (73 mi) SW earthquakes near Butte County
Nevada County, CA 120 km (74 mi) S earthquakes near Nevada County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 3 km S of East Shore, CA
  2. 2.1 2 km N of Canyondam, CA
  3. 2.4 10 km N of Greenhorn, CA
  4. 1.7 4 km N of Canyondam, CA
  5. 2.2 15 km N of Susanville, CA
  6. 2.3 2 km ENE of Keddie, CA
  7. 1.8 14 km NNW of Susanville, CA
  8. 2.4 8 km NW of Honey Lake, CA
  9. 2.0 3 km N of Canyondam, CA
  10. 1.9 14 km NNW of Susanville, CA
  11. 1.9 3 km N of Canyondam, CA
  12. 2.2 15 km SE of Honey Lake, CA
  13. 2.2 24 km ENE of Honey Lake, CA
  14. 1.6 15 km NNW of Susanville, CA
  15. 1.9 3 km S 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.