QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7md

Earthquake near Fresno, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Fresno in the 24 hours to 7:19 pm PST (03:19 UTC). The last one was M 1.8, 8 km (5 mi) ESE, at 8:23 am PST on 27 February 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Fresno

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 23 km (14 mi) north of Fresno, CA, at 10:47 am PDT on 21 March 2026 (17:47 UTC), 22 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6 km WSW of Friant, CA

19 km (12 mi) N of Fresno, CA · 16 km (10 mi) NNW of Clovis, CA

10:47 am PDT, Mar 21, 2026 · · 22 km deep · released about 290 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Fresno County 24 kmMadera County 28 kmMariposa County 70 kmMerced County 88 kmKings County 98 kmTuolumne County 120 kmTulare 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
10:47 am PDT on 21 March 2026 ()
Where
23 km (14 mi) north of Fresno, CA · earthquakes near Fresno
Magnitude
M 2.7 (md)
Depth
22 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Fresno County, 24 km SSE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 161 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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Fresno, 23 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: Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, Clovis, Old Fig Garden, Tarpey Village, Parksdale, Parkwood.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 290 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 51,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 36,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 290 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 36.9553, -119.7728. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Fresno County, CA 24 km (15 mi) SSE earthquakes near Fresno County
Madera County, CA 28 km (18 mi) N earthquakes near Madera County
Mariposa County, CA 70 km (43 mi) N earthquakes near Mariposa County
Merced County, CA 88 km (55 mi) WNW earthquakes near Merced County
Kings County, CA 98 km (61 mi) S earthquakes near Kings County
Tuolumne County, CA 120 km (74 mi) N earthquakes near Tuolumne County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

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