QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near East Quincy, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in East Quincy in the 24 hours to 5:10 am PST (13:10 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 6 km (3 mi) N, at 5:11 am PST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near East Quincy

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 14 km (9 mi) north-northwest of East Quincy, CA, at 3:13 am PST on 24 January 2023 (11:13 UTC), 16 km deep.

USGS: 0 km E of Paxton, California

3:13 am PST, Jan 24, 2023 · · 16 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Plumas County 15 kmSierra County 65 kmButte County 67 kmLassen County 81 kmNevada County 84 kmYuba County 91 kmTehama County 106 kmPlacer County 111 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
3:13 am PST on 24 January 2023 ()
Where
14 km (9 mi) north-northwest of East Quincy, CA · earthquakes near East Quincy
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
16 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Plumas County, 15 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Indian Valley fault, 8 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 1388 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In East Quincy, 14 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: Quincy, Greenville, Westwood.

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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.7 2 km NNE of Canyondam, California · 18 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 3 km N of Blairsden, California · 40 km SE 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 40.0374, -120.9869. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Plumas County, CA 15 km (9 mi) ESE earthquakes near Plumas County
Sierra County, CA 65 km (40 mi) SE earthquakes near Sierra County
Butte County, CA 67 km (42 mi) SW earthquakes near Butte County
Lassen County, CA 81 km (51 mi) NNE earthquakes near Lassen County
Nevada County, CA 84 km (52 mi) SSE earthquakes near Nevada County
Yuba County, CA 91 km (56 mi) SSW earthquakes near Yuba County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 3km ESE of Prattville, CA
  2. 2.2 2km NNE of Prattville, CA
  3. 1.9 4km NNE of Almanor, CA
  4. 2.4 4km S of East Shore, CA
  5. 2.2 3km NE of Prattville, CA
  6. 2.2 4km ENE of Prattville, CA
  7. 2.2 4km N of Canyondam, CA
  8. 2.4 3km NNW of Canyondam, CA
  9. 2.0 3km ESE of Prattville, CA
  10. 2.5 4km NW of Canyondam, CA
  11. 5.2 4km NW of Canyondam, CA
  12. 2.4 2km NNE of Almanor, CA
  13. 2.5 2km NNE of Almanor, CA
  14. 3.0 4km NW of Canyondam, CA
  15. 2.4 4km ESE of Prattville, 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.