California earthquakes

M3.7 earthquake 34 km NW of Benton, California

A magnitude 3.7 earthquake struck 34 km NW of Benton, California on Fri, May 8, 2020, 7:55 AM PDT (14:55 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.5 Monte Cristo Range, NV Earthquake. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 3.7 (Mwr, regional moment), minor
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Fri, May 8, 2020, 7:55 AM PDT
UTC: 2020-05-08 14:55:08 UTC
Depth: 6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 38.047° N, 118.741° W
Region: California
Strongest shaking: V, moderate shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
3.7	Mwr, regional moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · 5 stations
3.65	Mw, moment	Northern California Seismic System	Final · 5 stations
3.3	ML, local (Richter)	Nevada Seismological Laboratory	Reviewed · ±0.33 · 7 stations

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: V, moderate shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 1432.0% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 3.1 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Moment magnitude: 3.6 Mw

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 1.3 km horizontally, 2.1 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 44°
Stations used: 65

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: at least 200 in the 60 days after this one and at least 200 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of at least 200.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us70009cel (also filed as nn00724755, nc73381865). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 9:53 AM UTC.