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 6:15 pm PST (02:15 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 12 km (7 mi) east-northeast of Big Pine, CA, at 2:02 am PDT on 27 September 2024 (09:02 UTC), 1.8 km deep.

USGS: 11 km ENE of Big Pine, California

2:02 am PDT, Sep 27, 2024 · · 1.8 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Esmeralda County 80 kmInyo County 98 kmMono County 102 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
2:02 am PDT on 27 September 2024 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) east-northeast of Big Pine, CA · earthquakes near Big Pine
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
1.8 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Esmeralda County, 80 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Deep Springs fault, 3 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 773 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 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Big Pine, 12 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: Bishop.

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 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1986 Chalfant Valley, California Earthquake · 45 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 4 km NNW of Round Valley, California · 49 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 46km E of Big Pine, California · 35 km E of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 Near Bishop, California · 27 km WNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.9 18 km NNE of Mesa, California · 48 km NNW 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 37.1978, -118.1635. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Esmeralda County, NV 80 km (50 mi) NE earthquakes near Esmeralda County
Inyo County, CA 98 km (61 mi) SE earthquakes near Inyo County
Mono County, CA 102 km (63 mi) NW earthquakes near Mono County
Tulare County, CA 121 km (75 mi) SSW earthquakes near Tulare County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 39 km ENE of Independence, California
  2. 1.9 10 km E of Big Pine, CA
  3. 1.9 39 km ENE of Independence, California
  4. 2.1 48 km S of Silver Peak, Nevada
  5. 1.6 6 km WNW of West Bishop, CA
  6. 1.8 5 km E of Independence, CA
  7. 2.1 48 km S of Silver Peak, Nevada
  8. 1.5 48 km S of Silver Peak, Nevada
  9. 1.5 4 km SSW of Bishop, CA
  10. 1.7 2 km S of Round Valley, CA
  11. 1.6 48 km S of Silver Peak, Nevada
  12. 1.5 46 km S of Silver Peak, Nevada
  13. 2.1 49 km S of Silver Peak, Nevada
  14. 1.7 48 km S of Silver Peak, Nevada
  15. 1.5 49 km S of Silver Peak, Nevada

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.