QuakeIndex

quarry blast · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Yosemite Lakes, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Yosemite Lakes in the 24 hours to 11:11 pm PST (07:11 UTC). The last one was M 1.8, 11 km (7 mi) S, at 2:53 pm PDT on 27 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Yosemite Lakes

No: USGS classifies this as a quarry blast, not an earthquake. A magnitude 2.3 quarry blast was recorded 11 km (7 mi) south of Yosemite Lakes, CA, at 4:31 pm PST on 26 February 2026 (00:31 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 11 km S of Yosemite Lakes, CA

35 km (22 mi) N of Fresno, CA · 30 km (19 mi) ENE of Madera, CA

4:31 pm PST, Feb 26, 2026 · · -0.4 km deep · released about 74 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Madera County 13 kmFresno County 39 kmMariposa County 54 kmMerced County 84 kmTuolumne County 104 kmKings County 114 kmStanislaus County 119 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
4:31 pm PST on 26 February 2026 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) south of Yosemite Lakes, CA · earthquakes near Yosemite Lakes
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
-0.4 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Madera County, 13 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 250 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 Yosemite Lakes, 11 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.

Likely felt in: Yosemite Lakes 11 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

USGS catalogues this as quarry blast, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 74 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 140,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 13× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 74 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 37.0970, -119.7850. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Madera County, CA 13 km (8 mi) NNE earthquakes near Madera County
Fresno County, CA 39 km (24 mi) SSE earthquakes near Fresno County
Mariposa County, CA 54 km (34 mi) NNW earthquakes near Mariposa County
Merced County, CA 84 km (52 mi) W earthquakes near Merced County
Tuolumne County, CA 104 km (65 mi) N earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Kings County, CA 114 km (71 mi) S earthquakes near Kings County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 5 km WNW of Madera, CA
  2. 1.7 7 km E of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  3. 1.8 11 km S of Yosemite Lakes, CA
  4. 1.7 7 km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  5. 1.8 14 km SSW of Bootjack, CA
  6. 1.9 8 km ESE of Coarsegold, CA
  7. 1.9 7 km N of Shaver Lake, CA
  8. 2.0 8 km ESE of Coarsegold, CA
  9. 2.1 9 km E of Friant, CA
  10. 2.4 4 km SSE of Shaver Lake, CA
  11. 2.2 3 km S of Shaver Lake, CA
  12. 2.0 9 km ESE of Coarsegold, CA
  13. 2.5 14 km NNW of Squaw Valley, CA
  14. 2.0 7 km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, CA
  15. 1.8 6 km ENE of Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, 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.