Earthquake.now

M1.6 Earthquake near East Tulare County, United States — 31 December 2024

A micro earthquake of magnitude 1.6 was recorded near East Tulare County, United States on , with an epicentre 13 km southwest of Olancha, at a focal depth of 2.2 km. It ranked as the 2987th strongest of 7972 earthquakes recorded in the United States in the preceding 30 days.

1.6 Micro

Time (UTC): 2024-12-31 23:33:51

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 1.6 (micro)

Focal depth: 2.2 km (shallow)

Epicentre: 36.1833, -118.0880

Location: 13 km SW of Olancha, CA

Country: United States

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Automatic

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 1.6 earthquake radiates roughly 3.3 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 37, 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.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 36.1833, -118.0880 — 13 km southwest of Olancha. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 0.9 earthquake 4 km south of here on 30 July 2026.

Why the 2 km depth matters

At 2 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.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

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 M1.6 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

136 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.8.

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 4.8 event near Big Pine on 29 June 2025. This M1.6 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 December 2024 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in the United States during December 2024. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in the United States

All recorded earthquakes in the United States →

Other magnitude 1 earthquakes worldwide

Questions about this earthquake

How strong is a magnitude 1.6 earthquake?

Micro earthquakes are almost never felt at the surface and are recorded only by seismographs. A magnitude 1.6 earthquake radiates roughly 3.3 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near East Tulare County?

At 2 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 M1.6 earthquake near East Tulare County 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 M1.6 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?

136 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 2.8.

How often do earthquakes happen near East Tulare County?

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 4.8 event near Big Pine on 29 June 2025. This M1.6 event released about 72,444 times less energy than that event.