M1.2 Earthquake near Mojave, CA — 30 July 2026
A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.2 was recorded near Mojave, CA on , with an epicentre 13 km west of Mojave, at a focal depth of -0.8 km.
Time (UTC): 2026-07-30 19:01:48
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 1.2 (micro)
Focal depth: -0.8 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 35.0477, -118.3200
Location: 13 km W of Mojave, CA
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Micro earthquakes are almost never felt at the surface and are recorded only by seismographs.
A magnitude 1.2 earthquake radiates roughly 0.83 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 21, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 35.0477, -118.3200 — 13 km west of Mojave. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 1.0 earthquake 54 km east-northeast of here on 31 July 2026.
Why the -1 km depth matters
At -1 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, events this small are usually detected by instruments rather than people. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M1.2 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
37 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 2 days since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.4.
11 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 4.4 event near Frazier Park on 12 July 2026. This M1.2 event released about 72,444 times less energy than that event.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the July 2026 worldwide record. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M1.0 earthquake near Johannesburg, CA — (54 km ENE)
- M1.2 earthquake near Johannesburg, CA — (54 km ENE)
- M0.6 earthquake near Johannesburg, CA — (55 km ENE)
- M1.6 earthquake near Johannesburg, CA — (59 km NE)
- M2.4 earthquake near Frazier Park, CA — (62 km WSW)
- M1.4 earthquake near Frazier Park, CA — (62 km WSW)
- M0.8 earthquake near Granada Hills, CA — (90 km S)
- M0.6 earthquake near Ridgecrest, CA — (100 km NE)
- M1.2 earthquake near Searles Valley, CA — (101 km NE)
- M0.7 earthquake near Searles Valley, CA — (101 km NE)
Other magnitude 1 earthquakes worldwide
- M1.1 earthquake near Garden City, Texas —
- M1.0 earthquake near Atascadero —
- M0.9 earthquake near Indio, CA —
- M1.2 earthquake near Pedro Bay, Alaska —
- M1.2 earthquake near Searles Valley, CA —
- M1.3 earthquake near The Geysers, CA —
- M1.1 earthquake near Cloverdale, CA —
- M1.1 earthquake near Cloverdale, CA —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong is a magnitude 1.2 earthquake?
Micro earthquakes are almost never felt at the surface and are recorded only by seismographs. A magnitude 1.2 earthquake radiates roughly 0.83 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Mojave?
At -1 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
Was the M1.2 earthquake near Mojave felt?
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, events this small are usually detected by instruments rather than people. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
What does the USGS tsunami field mean for this event?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M1.2 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
Have there been aftershocks?
37 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 2 days since this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.4.
How often do earthquakes happen near Mojave?
11 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 4.4 event near Frazier Park on 12 July 2026. This M1.2 event released about 72,444 times less energy than that event.