QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Big Pine, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Big Pine in the 24 hours to 7:07 am PST (15:07 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 9 km (6 mi) NNE, at 10:07 am PST on 4 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Big Pine

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 29 km (18 mi) east of Big Pine, CA, at 8:24 am PST on 23 January 2019 (16:24 UTC), 7.5 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 28 km E of Big Pine, California

8:24 am PST, Jan 23, 2019 · · 7.5 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Big Pine Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Esmeralda County 77 kmInyo County 82 kmMono County 118 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
8:24 am PST on 23 January 2019 ()
Where
29 km (18 mi) east of Big Pine, CA · earthquakes near Big Pine
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
7.5 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports
Nearest
Esmeralda County, 77 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Deep Springs fault, 12 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 1557 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 8 km (5 mi) from the epicentre. In Big Pine, 29 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.6 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 4.8 on 2016-02-16 — about 57,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.1 46km E of Big Pine, California · 17 km E of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 Near Bishop, California · 45 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 4 km SSW of Bishop, California · 45 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 10 km N of Independence, California · 34 km SW 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 37.1431, -117.9657. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Esmeralda County, NV 77 km (48 mi) NNE earthquakes near Esmeralda County
Inyo County, CA 82 km (51 mi) SE earthquakes near Inyo County
Mono County, CA 118 km (73 mi) NW earthquakes near Mono County
Tulare County, CA 125 km (78 mi) SW earthquakes near Tulare County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 2km NE of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA
  2. 1.5 5km NNE of Wilkerson, CA
  3. 1.6 50 km SSW of Goldfield, Nevada
  4. 1.5 57km NNW of Stovepipe Wells, CA
  5. 1.5 3km ESE of Bishop, CA
  6. 2.0 8km SSW of Wilkerson, CA
  7. 1.9 6km NE of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA
  8. 3.0 6km NE of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA
  9. 2.2 5km NE of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA
  10. 2.2 4km ENE of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA
  11. 3.8 6km NE of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA
  12. 2.1 4km SE of Independence, CA
  13. 2.0 4km NNE of Big Pine, CA
  14. 1.9 4km NE of Big Pine, CA
  15. 1.9 4km NE of Big Pine, 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.