M2.1 Earthquake near Little Lake, CA — 09 August 2026
A minor earthquake of magnitude 2.1 was recorded near Little Lake, CA on , with an epicentre 21 km east-southeast of Little Lake, at a focal depth of 4.7 km.
Time (UTC): 2026-08-09 19:53:07
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 2.1 (minor)
Focal depth: 4.7 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 35.8580, -117.6980
Location: 21 km ESE of Little Lake, CA
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Minor earthquakes in this range are felt by people close to the epicentre as a brief jolt or rattle, but they very rarely cause any damage.
A magnitude 2.1 earthquake radiates roughly 19 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 66, 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 35.8580, -117.6980 — 21 km east-southeast of Little Lake. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 1.0 earthquake 3 km north-northwest of here on 09 August 2026.
Why the 5 km depth matters
At 5 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 M2.1 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
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.
14 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 4.9 event near Indio on 20 January 2026. This M2.1 event released about 19,004 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 August 2026 worldwide record. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M1.0 earthquake near Little Lake, CA — (3 km NNW)
- M0.6 earthquake near Ridgecrest, CA — (4 km SSE)
- M0.0 earthquake near Ridgecrest, CA — (4 km SE)
- M0.5 earthquake near Little Lake, CA — (5 km NNW)
- M0.5 earthquake near Little Lake, CA — (7 km N)
- M0.2 earthquake near Searles Valley, CA — (10 km ESE)
- M0.6 earthquake near Little Lake, CA — (19 km NNW)
- M0.6 earthquake near Searles Valley, CA — (21 km SE)
- M1.3 earthquake near Ridgecrest, CA — (23 km SSE)
- M1.7 earthquake near Ridgecrest, CA — (26 km SSE)
Other magnitude 2 earthquakes worldwide
- M2.1 earthquake near Pāhala, Hawaii —
- M1.9 earthquake near Pāhala, Hawaii —
- M2.0 earthquake near Happy Valley, Alaska —
- M1.9 earthquake near Toyah, Texas —
- M2.1 earthquake near Pearsall, Texas —
- M1.9 earthquake near Forsan, Texas —
- M2.2 earthquake near Pāhala, Hawaii —
- M2.0 earthquake near Chignik, Alaska —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong is a magnitude 2.1 earthquake?
Minor earthquakes in this range are felt by people close to the epicentre as a brief jolt or rattle, but they very rarely cause any damage. A magnitude 2.1 earthquake radiates roughly 19 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Little Lake?
At 5 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 M2.1 earthquake near Little Lake 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 M2.1 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?
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.
How often do earthquakes happen near Little Lake?
14 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 4.9 event near Indio on 20 January 2026. This M2.1 event released about 19,004 times less energy than that event.