On Thursday Evening a Shallow M4.4 Earthquake struck near Chico in The United States.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 5th, 2024. Last updated May 4th, 2024.

Under land 35 miles from Chico in The United States, a shallow Magnitude 4.4 earthquake occurred in the evening of Thursday April 4th, 2024. Around 4.2 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 35 miles (57 km) north-east of Chico in California. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 5 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 4, 2024 06:34PM (Los Angeles Time) - Apr 5, 2024 01:34 Universal Time.
Location:	35 mi NE of Chico, California, The United States. Coordinates 40°2'24"N 121°18'2"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.4 Detected by 6 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.3 .
Depth:	5 mi (8 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 4.2 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 4.2 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 22,160 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level II was experienced by the majority of people (around 3.4 million). In their region, very weak shaking and no damage can be expected.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
911,700	I	Not noticable	None
3,423,000	II	Very weak	None
775,900	III	Weak	Probably none
22,160	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Located 26 miles (42 km) north-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Paradise (California, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Paradise is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. San Francisco is located 168 mi to the south-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Sacramento is located 101 mi to the south and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Chico is located 35 mi to the southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
26 mi (42 km) SW from epicenter	Paradise California, The United States.	III Weak
35 mi (57 km) SW from epicenter	Chico California, The United States.	III Weak
39 mi (62 km) SSW from epicenter	Oroville California, The United States.	III Weak
43 mi (69 km) NE from epicenter	Susanville California, The United States.	III Weak
65 mi (104 km) SSW from epicenter	Yuba City California, The United States.	III Weak
65 mi (104 km) S from epicenter	Linda California, The United States.	III Weak
66 mi (107 km) SSW from epicenter	South Yuba City California, The United States.	III Weak
69 mi (111 km) WNW from epicenter	Redding California, The United States.	II Weak
77 mi (124 km) SE from epicenter	Truckee California, The United States.	II Weak
80 mi (128 km) S from epicenter	Lincoln California, The United States.	II Weak
86 mi (139 km) ESE from epicenter	Sun Valley Nevada, The United States.	II Weak
86 mi (139 km) ESE from epicenter	Reno Nevada, The United States.	II Weak
86 mi (139 km) S from epicenter	Rocklin California, The United States.	II Weak
88 mi (142 km) S from epicenter	Granite Bay California, The United States.	II Weak
89 mi (143 km) S from epicenter	Roseville California, The United States.	II Weak
89 mi (144 km) ESE from epicenter	Sparks Nevada, The United States.	II Weak
92 mi (148 km) S from epicenter	Citrus Heights California, The United States.	II Weak
92 mi (148 km) S from epicenter	Antelope California, The United States.	II Weak
94 mi (151 km) S from epicenter	Foothill Farms California, The United States.	II Weak
94 mi (151 km) S from epicenter	North Highlands California, The United States.	II Weak
94 mi (152 km) S from epicenter	Orangevale California, The United States.	III Weak
94 mi (152 km) S from epicenter	El Dorado Hills California, The United States.	II Weak
94 mi (152 km) S from epicenter	Folsom California, The United States.	III Weak
96 mi (155 km) S from epicenter	Fair Oaks California, The United States.	II Weak
98 mi (157 km) SSW from epicenter	Woodland California, The United States.	III Weak
98 mi (158 km) S from epicenter	Carmichael California, The United States.	II Weak
99 mi (160 km) S from epicenter	Arden-Arcade California, The United States.	II Weak
100 mi (161 km) S from epicenter	Rancho Cordova California, The United States.	II Weak
101 mi (163 km) S from epicenter	West Sacramento California, The United States.	III Weak
101 mi (163 km) S from epicenter	Sacramento California, The United States.	III Weak
102 mi (164 km) SE from epicenter	Carson City Nevada, The United States.	II Weak
103 mi (166 km) S from epicenter	Rosemont California, The United States.	II Weak
106 mi (171 km) SSW from epicenter	Davis California, The United States.	II Weak
107 mi (172 km) S from epicenter	Florin California, The United States.	II Weak
109 mi (175 km) S from epicenter	Vineyard California, The United States.	II Weak
112 mi (180 km) S from epicenter	Laguna California, The United States.	II Weak
112 mi (181 km) S from epicenter	Elk Grove California, The United States.	II Weak
122 mi (196 km) SSW from epicenter	Vacaville California, The United States.	II Weak
130 mi (209 km) SSW from epicenter	Fairfield California, The United States.	I Not felt
132 mi (212 km) SSW from epicenter	Napa California, The United States.	I Not felt
134 mi (216 km) SW from epicenter	Santa Rosa California, The United States.	I Not felt
143 mi (230 km) S from epicenter	Antioch California, The United States.
144 mi (231 km) SSW from epicenter	Vallejo California, The United States.
144 mi (232 km) S from epicenter	Stockton California, The United States.
148 mi (238 km) SSW from epicenter	Concord California, The United States.
158 mi (255 km) SSW from epicenter	Berkeley California, The United States.
163 mi (262 km) SSW from epicenter	Oakland California, The United States.
167 mi (268 km) S from epicenter	Modesto California, The United States.
168 mi (270 km) SSW from epicenter	San Francisco California, The United States.
169 mi (272 km) SSW from epicenter	Hayward California, The United States.
176 mi (283 km) SSW from epicenter	Fremont California, The United States.
178 mi (286 km) NNW from epicenter	Medford Oregon, The United States.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is V.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

4 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 4 smaller aftershocks. Just 9 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-2.9 was detected 0.1 mi (0.1 km) east-northeast of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 25 sec earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.1

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 4.1	25 sec earlier Apr 4, 2024 06:34PM (Los Angeles Time)	0.9 mi (1.5 km) WSW from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 4.4	Apr 4, 2024 06:34PM (Los Angeles Time)	-
Aftershock	M 2.7	29 mins later Apr 4, 2024 07:03PM (Los Angeles Time)	0.2 mi (0.4 km) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.6	9 hrs later Apr 5, 2024 03:26AM (Los Angeles Time)	0.2 mi (0.4 km) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.9	9 hrs later Apr 5, 2024 03:46AM (Los Angeles Time)	0.1 mi (0.1 km) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.5	3 days later Apr 7, 2024 06:26PM (Los Angeles Time)	0.1 mi (0.2 km) SE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since October 16th, 2023, when a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit 147 mi (236 km) further west. An even stronger magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck on December 20th, 2022.

In total, 65 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.4 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 5 mi (8 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 04/05/24 02:18 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.