On Sunday Night a Shallow M4.1 Earthquake struck near Bakersfield in The United States.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 12th, 2026.

Under land 39 miles from Bakersfield in The United States, a shallow Magnitude 4.1 earthquake occurred deep in the night of Sunday July 12th, 2026. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. Roughly 10 million people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 39 miles (63 km) south of Bakersfield in California. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 8 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jul 12, 2026 03:38AM (Los Angeles Time) - Jul 12, 2026 10:38 Universal Time.
Location:	39 mi south of Bakersfield, California, The United States. Coordinates 34°48'47"N 118°55'33"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.1 Detected by 40 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.2 .
Depth:	8 mi (13 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 95% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 10 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 10 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 8,360 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level I was experienced by the majority of people (around 12 million). In their region, not noticeable and no damage can be expected.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
12,140,000	I	Not noticable	None
8,702,000	II	Very weak	None
880,000	III	Weak	Probably none
8,360	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 . Arvin in California, The United States is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 28 miles (45 km) south of Arvin. The intensity of shaking and damage in Arvin 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. Los Angeles is located 65 mi to the south-east and experienced an intensity of II (very weak shaking, no damage). Bakersfield is located 39 mi to the north and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). San Diego is located 176 mi to the south-east (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
28 mi (45 km) N from epicenter	Arvin California, The United States.	III Weak
28 mi (45 km) SE from epicenter	Castaic California, The United States.	II Weak
29 mi (46 km) S from epicenter	Fillmore California, The United States.	III Weak
31 mi (50 km) N from epicenter	Lamont California, The United States.	III Weak
31 mi (50 km) SE from epicenter	Valencia California, The United States.	II Weak
32 mi (52 km) S from epicenter	Santa Paula California, The United States.	III Weak
35 mi (57 km) SE from epicenter	Stevenson Ranch California, The United States.	II Weak
37 mi (59 km) SE from epicenter	Santa Clarita California, The United States.	II Weak
37 mi (59 km) S from epicenter	Moorpark California, The United States.	III Weak
37 mi (60 km) SE from epicenter	Canyon Country California, The United States.	II Weak
39 mi (62 km) S from epicenter	Simi Valley California, The United States.	II Weak
39 mi (63 km) N from epicenter	Bakersfield California, The United States.	III Weak
42 mi (67 km) S from epicenter	Camarillo California, The United States.	II Weak
42 mi (68 km) N from epicenter	Oildale California, The United States.	III Weak
42 mi (68 km) SW from epicenter	Ventura California, The United States.	II Weak
43 mi (69 km) SE from epicenter	Chatsworth California, The United States.	II Weak
43 mi (70 km) E from epicenter	Rosamond California, The United States.	II Weak
45 mi (72 km) S from epicenter	Thousand Oaks California, The United States.	II Weak
45 mi (72 km) S from epicenter	Oxnard California, The United States.	II Weak
45 mi (73 km) S from epicenter	West Hills California, The United States.	II Weak
45 mi (73 km) E from epicenter	Lancaster California, The United States.	III Weak
46 mi (74 km) SE from epicenter	San Fernando California, The United States.	II Weak
46 mi (74 km) SE from epicenter	Northridge California, The United States.	II Weak
46 mi (74 km) SE from epicenter	Canoga Park California, The United States.	II Weak
47 mi (76 km) SE from epicenter	North Hills California, The United States.	II Weak
47 mi (76 km) S from epicenter	Agoura California, The United States.	II Weak
48 mi (77 km) S from epicenter	Calabasas California, The United States.	II Weak
48 mi (77 km) S from epicenter	Agoura Hills California, The United States.	II Weak
48 mi (77 km) SE from epicenter	Woodland Hills California, The United States.	II Weak
48 mi (78 km) E from epicenter	Palmdale California, The United States.	II Weak
48 mi (78 km) S from epicenter	Port Hueneme California, The United States.	II Weak
51 mi (82 km) SE from epicenter	Valley Glen California, The United States.	II Weak
51 mi (82 km) SE from epicenter	Encino California, The United States.	II Weak
51 mi (82 km) SE from epicenter	Van Nuys California, The United States.	II Weak
52 mi (83 km) SW from epicenter	Santa Barbara California, The United States.	II Weak
53 mi (85 km) SE from epicenter	Tujunga California, The United States.	I Not felt
53 mi (86 km) SE from epicenter	Sherman Oaks California, The United States.	II Weak
54 mi (87 km) SE from epicenter	North Hollywood California, The United States.	II Weak
55 mi (88 km) SE from epicenter	Studio City California, The United States.	II Weak
56 mi (90 km) SE from epicenter	Burbank California, The United States.	I Not felt
57 mi (92 km) SE from epicenter	Universal City California, The United States.	I Not felt
58 mi (93 km) SW from epicenter	Goleta California, The United States.	II Weak
59 mi (95 km) SE from epicenter	Beverly Hills California, The United States.	II Weak
60 mi (96 km) SE from epicenter	West Hollywood California, The United States.	I Not felt
60 mi (97 km) SE from epicenter	Santa Monica California, The United States.	II Weak
60 mi (97 km) SE from epicenter	Glendale California, The United States.	II Weak
60 mi (97 km) SE from epicenter	Hollywood California, The United States.	II Weak
65 mi (105 km) SE from epicenter	Los Angeles California, The United States.	II Weak
84 mi (135 km) SE from epicenter	Long Beach California, The United States.	II Weak
89 mi (143 km) SE from epicenter	Anaheim California, The United States.	I Not felt
95 mi (153 km) SE from epicenter	Santa Ana California, The United States.	I Not felt

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

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.

Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. Just 7 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-2.9 was detected 0.6 mi (1 km) southwest of this earthquake.

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
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 4.1	Jul 12, 2026 03:38AM (Los Angeles Time)	-
Aftershock	M 2.9	7 hrs later Jul 12, 2026 10:53AM (Los Angeles Time)	0.6 mi (1 km) SW from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

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 January 21st, 2026, when a 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit 169 mi (273 km) further east. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on July 6th, 2019.

In total, 135 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.1 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 27 days.

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 4.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 8 mi (13 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 12/07/26 19:18 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.