Light mag. 3.1 earthquake - 9.1 mi southwest of Searles Valley, California, USA, on Sunday, 29 Nov 2020 2:29 pm (GMT -8) -
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Light magnitude 3.1 earthquake at 7 km depth
29 Nov 22:33 UTC: First to report: EMSC after 3 minutes.
29 Nov 22:33: Now using data updates from USGS
30 Nov 17:12: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 7.4 to 7.2 km (from 4.6 to 4.5 mi).
29 Nov 22:33: Now using data updates from USGS
30 Nov 17:12: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 7.4 to 7.2 km (from 4.6 to 4.5 mi).
Update Sun, 29 Nov 2020, 22:48
Magnitude 3.1 earthquake strikes near Ridgecrest, California3.1 quake 29 Nov 2:29 pm (GMT -8)
An earthquake of magnitude 3.1 occurred early afternoon on Sunday 29 November 2020 at 2.29 pm local time near Searles Valley, California, as reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a very shallow depth of 4.6 miles. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Our monitoring service at VolcanoDiscovery identified a second report from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) which listed the quake at magnitude 3.0.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter. Weak shaking might have been felt in Searles Valley (pop. 1,700) located 9 miles from the epicenter, and Ridgecrest (pop. 28,800) 9 miles away.
Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include China Lake Acres (pop. 1,900) located 13 miles from the epicenter, and Inyokern (pop. 1,100) 15 miles away.
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a very shallow depth of 4.6 miles. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Our monitoring service at VolcanoDiscovery identified a second report from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) which listed the quake at magnitude 3.0.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter. Weak shaking might have been felt in Searles Valley (pop. 1,700) located 9 miles from the epicenter, and Ridgecrest (pop. 28,800) 9 miles away.
Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include China Lake Acres (pop. 1,900) located 13 miles from the epicenter, and Inyokern (pop. 1,100) 15 miles away.
Earthquake data:
Date & time: 29 Nov 2020 22:29:48 UTC -
Local time at epicenter: Sunday, 29 Nov 2020 2:29 pm (GMT -8)
Magnitude: 3.1
Depth: 7.2 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 35.71283°N / 117.55333°W
(San Bernardino Comitatus County, California, United States)Nearest volcano: Coso (43 km / 27 mi)
Nearby towns and cities:
15 km (9 mi) NE of Ridgecrest (pop: 28,800) --> See nearby quakes!
15 km (9 mi) WSW of Searles Valley (pop: 1,740) --> See nearby quakes!
25 km (15 mi) ENE of Inyokern (pop: 1,100) --> See nearby quakes!
103 km (64 mi) NNW of Barstow (San Bernardino County) (pop: 23,700) --> See nearby quakes!
103 km (64 mi) NNW of Barstow (pop: 23,700) --> See nearby quakes!
125 km (77 mi) NNE of Lancaster (pop: 161,100) --> See nearby quakes!
133 km (83 mi) N of Victorville (pop: 122,200) --> See nearby quakes!
136 km (85 mi) NNE of Palmdale (pop: 158,400) --> See nearby quakes!
138 km (86 mi) ENE of Bakersfield (pop: 373,600) --> See nearby quakes!
473 km (294 mi) SE of Sacramento (pop: 490,700) --> See nearby quakes!
Weather at epicenter at time of quake:
Clear Sky
18.7°C (66 F), humidity: 13%, wind: 1 m/s (2 kts) from NE
Primary data source: USGS (United States Geological Survey)Clear Sky
18.7°C (66 F), humidity: 13%, wind: 1 m/s (2 kts) from NEEstimated released energy: 2.8 x 109 joules (783 kilowatt hours, equivalent to 0.674 tons of TNT) More info
Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies
Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.
| Magnitude | Depth | Location | Source |
| M 3.1 | 7.2 km | 15km WSW of Searles Valley, CA, USA | USGS |
| M 3.0 | 6 km | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, USA | EMSC |
User reports for this quake (2)
User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.
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Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it.
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Send your own user report!
137.9 km S of epicenter [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : I was asleep, I felt shaking woke up to make sure it was and it was.
Mission Viejo , CA / Very weak shaking (MMI II)
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