M2.9 earthquake 52 km NNW of Ridgecrest, California, United States
A magnitude 2.9 earthquake struck 52 km NNW of Ridgecrest, California, United States at 08:33 local time (15:33 UTC) on 6 Sept 2026, at a depth of 3 km, according to USGS.
Data: USGS · updated 2026-09-14 16:05 UTC · reviewed
- Magnitude
- 2.9micro
local magnitude (Richter) (ml) - Depth
- 2.8 km
- Status
- Reviewed
- Origin time
- 2026-09-06 15:33:40 UTC
- Local: 6 Sept 2026, 08:33:40 (America/Los Angeles)
- Epicentre
- 36.069° N, 117.841° W
Circles show this event and others within 30 km from 7 days before to 30 days after. Lines: plate boundaries and GEM active faults. Open on the live map
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Est. shaking |
|---|---|---|
| RidgecrestCalifornia, United States · pop. 28,780 | 52 km | INot felt |
| Alta SierraCalifornia, United States · pop. 7,047 | 74 km | INot felt |
| PortervilleCalifornia, United States · pop. 56,058 | 106 km | INot felt |
| OildaleCalifornia, United States · pop. 32,684 | 129 km | INot felt |
| ArvinCalifornia, United States · pop. 20,876 | 131 km | INot felt |
| BakersfieldCalifornia, United States · pop. 373,640 | 132 km | INot felt |
| FresnoCalifornia, United States · pop. 542,107 | 189 km | INot felt |
| Los AngelesCalifornia, United States · pop. 3,820,914 | 227 km | INot felt |
Shaking is an estimate from the intensity prediction equation of Allen, Wald & Worden (2012), not an observation. Local ground and buildings can change it by a level or more. Likely felt out to about 15 km.
Every agency's solution
Agencies locate earthquakes with their own stations and methods, so their numbers differ. We match reports of the same event by time, distance and magnitude and show them side by side. The headline uses USGS · CI, which has been reviewed by an analyst.
| Agency | Magnitude | Depth | Epicentre | Time offset | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGS · CIheadlineSouthern California Seismic Network via U.S. Geological Survey | 2.9 ml | 2.8 km | 36.07° N, 117.84° W | – | Reviewed |
How big was it?
Usually not felt. Recorded by nearby seismometers; thousands occur worldwide every day.
It released roughly the energy of 388 kg of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step means about 32 times more energy and 10 times larger waves on a seismogram. Depth matters too: at 3 km this was a shallow earthquake, which is felt more strongly at the surface than a deeper one of the same size.
M2.9 releases about 36× the energy of M1.9, and its waves are about 11× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 388 kg of TNT vs 11 kg of TNT.
Each square is the energy of one M1.9. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.
Aftershocks and nearby activity
9 later earthquakes within 30 km; the largest was M1.7 3 days ago. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.
Mainshock M2.9
9 later earthquakes nearby. Aftershock rates typically fall off roughly as 1/time (Omori's law).
| Time after mainshock (hours) | Magnitude | Depth (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 385.60 | 0.7 | 5 |
| 388.15 | 0.5 | 7 |
| 417.71 | 0.7 | 2 |
| 442.73 | 1.7 | 9 |
| 448.93 | 0.8 | 9 |
| 474.50 | 1.2 | 1 |
| 476.57 | 1.4 | 5 |
| 530.54 | 0.7 | 9 |
| 531.48 | 1.1 | 1 |
- 1.733 km N of Ridgecrest, California, United States09-25 02:17
- 1.433 km N of Ridgecrest, California, United States09-26 12:07
- 1.252 km N of Ridgecrest, California, United States09-26 10:03
- 1.147 km NNW of Ridgecrest, California, United States09-28 19:02
- 0.838 km N of Ridgecrest, California, United States09-25 08:29
- 0.737 km N of Ridgecrest, California, United States09-22 17:09
- 0.733 km N of Ridgecrest, California, United States09-28 18:06
- 0.753 km NNW of Ridgecrest, California, United States09-24 01:15
- 0.561 km NNW of Ridgecrest, California, United States09-22 19:42
Did you feel it?
Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.
Reports close 14 days after an earthquake.
Reports on SeismoAtlas
No reports yet.
Event id ci41542152. First recorded here 28 Sept 2026, 17:32:12 UTC. Solutions: USGS · CI (usgs:ci41542152). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M2.9 earthquake 52 km NNW of Ridgecrest, California, United States”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/ci41542152-m2-9-earthquake-52-km-nnw-of-ridgecrest-california-united-states, data from USGS.
JSON: /api/v1/events/ci41542152. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.