Shallow M4.3 Earthquake hit near Bakersfield in The United States on Thursday Afternoon.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 18th, 2024. Last updated May 3rd, 2024.

Under land 30 miles from Bakersfield in The United States, a shallow Magnitude 4.3 earthquake occurred around noon of Thursday April 18th, 2024. Roughly 3.8 million people may have felt this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 30 miles (48 km) east-northeast of Bakersfield in California. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 2 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 18, 2024 12:19PM (Los Angeles Time) - Apr 18, 2024 19:19 Universal Time.
Location:	30 mi ENE of Bakersfield, California, The United States. Coordinates 35°29'35"N 118°30'47"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.3 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.2 .
Depth:	2 mi (3 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 3.8 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 3.8 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 8,050 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level I was experienced by the majority of people (around 18 million). In their region, not noticeable and no damage can be expected.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Arvin in California, The United States. Arvin is located 27 miles (43 km) north-east of the epicenter. Arvin experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Los Angeles is located 101 mi to the south and experienced an intensity of I (not noticeable, no damage). Bakersfield is located 30 mi to the west-southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Fresno is located 112 mi to the northwest and experienced an intensity of II (very weak shaking, no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

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

4 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 4 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 10 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.2 was detected 0.2 mi (0.3 km) west-northwest of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 5 smaller foreshocks. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.9

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

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.

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 February 9th, 2024, when a 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit 102 mi (164 km) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on July 6th, 2019.

In total, 121 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.3 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 30 days.

Tsunami very unlikely

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

Sources

Last updated 03/05/24 20:58 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake ci40549375
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240418_0000267
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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