M2.0 Earthquake near Benton, California — 25 July 2026
A micro earthquake of magnitude 2.0 was recorded near Benton, California on , with an epicentre 33 km north of Benton, at a focal depth of 7.4 km.
Time (UTC): 2026-07-25 03:59:38
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 2.0 (micro)
Focal depth: 7.4 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 38.1222, -118.4640
Location: 33 km N of Benton, California
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 2.0 earthquake radiates roughly 14 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 60, 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 38.1222, -118.4640 — 33 km north of Benton. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 2.2 earthquake 1 km north of here on 25 July 2026.
Why the 7 km depth matters
At 7 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 M2.0 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
29 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.6.
23 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.9 event near Dayton on 04 December 2025. This M2.0 event released about 785,236 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
- M2.2 earthquake near Benton, California — (1 km N)
- M1.6 earthquake near Benton, California — (23 km SSW)
- M1.8 earthquake near Hawthorne, Nevada — (32 km NW)
- M2.6 earthquake near Hawthorne, Nevada — (33 km NW)
- M2.1 earthquake near Hawthorne, Nevada — (33 km NW)
- M2.1 earthquake near Hawthorne, Nevada — (33 km NW)
- M2.6 earthquake near Hawthorne, Nevada — (33 km NW)
- M2.5 earthquake near Hawthorne, Nevada — (35 km NW)
- M1.8 earthquake near Hawthorne, Nevada — (37 km NNW)
- M1.6 earthquake near Hawthorne, Nevada — (41 km NNW)
Other magnitude 1 earthquakes worldwide
- M1.9 earthquake near Ugashik, Alaska —
- M1.8 earthquake near Petrolia, CA —
- M2.1 earthquake near Pāhala, Hawaii —
- M1.7 earthquake near Aleneva, Alaska —
- M1.7 earthquake near Toyah, Texas —
- M1.7 earthquake near Silver Springs, Nevada —
- M1.7 earthquake near Nanwalek, Alaska —
- M1.7 earthquake near Whites City, New Mexico —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong is a magnitude 2.0 earthquake?
Micro earthquakes are almost never felt at the surface and are recorded only by seismographs. A magnitude 2.0 earthquake radiates roughly 14 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Benton?
At 7 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 M2.0 earthquake near Benton 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 M2.0 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?
29 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.6.
How often do earthquakes happen near Benton?
23 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.9 event near Dayton on 04 December 2025. This M2.0 event released about 785,236 times less energy than that event.