California earthquakes

M3.5 earthquake 27 km NNW of Benton, California

A magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck 27 km NNW of Benton, California on Thu, Jul 29, 2021, 7:23 AM PDT (14:23 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.4 25km SSW of Smith Valley, NV. 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: 3.5 (ML, local (Richter)), minor
Magnitude from: Nevada Seismological Laboratory
Local time: Thu, Jul 29, 2021, 7:23 AM PDT
UTC: 2021-07-29 14:23:29 UTC
Depth: 10.3 km (6.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 38.039° N, 118.614° W
Region: California
Felt reports: 4
Strongest shaking: III, weak 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
3.5	ML, local (Richter)	Nevada Seismological Laboratory	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.31 · 17 stations
3.2	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.028 · 167 stations

Shaking

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

Strongest estimated: III, weak shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 0.6% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: -1.6 cm/s
Map: Automatic

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

Did you feel it?

4 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.31
Station coverage gap: 64°
Stations used: 34

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 201 in the 60 days after this one and 199 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 201.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nn00816831 (also filed as nc73601766, us6000f08g). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 12:42 PM UTC.