California earthquakes

M4.0 earthquake 13km SW of Olancha, CA

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck 13km SW of Olancha, CA on Sat, Jan 16, 2021, 6:49 PM PST (02:49 UTC), 1 km (1 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.0 10km SE of Olancha, CA. 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
4.0 (Mw, moment), light
Magnitude from
Southern California Seismic Network
Local time
UTC
2021-01-17 02:49:08 UTC
Depth
1.1 km (0.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.188° N, 118.094° W
Felt reports
50
Strongest shaking
V, moderate shaking
PAGER alert
Green
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.ScaleComputed byNotes
4.02Mw, momentSouthern California Seismic NetworkPreferred · Final · 6 stations
4.0Mwr, regional momentUSGS National Earthquake Information CenterReviewed · ±0.028 · 120 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
8.8% of gravity
Peak ground velocity
1.2 cm/s
Map
Automatic
USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter
Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

50 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light shaking.

Did You Feel It? map: shaking reported by the public
Shaking reported by the public, by area. Map: USGS Did You Feel It?

Estimated impact

The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.

Alert level
Green: little or no damage or loss of life expected
Deaths: estimated chance of each range
RangeChance
Under 165%
1 to 1030%
10 to 1004%
100 to 1,000Under 1%
1,000 to 10,000Under 1%
10,000 to 100,000Under 1%
100,000 to 10,000,000Under 1%
Economic losses: estimated chance of each range
Range, million USDChance
Under 165%
1 to 1030%
10 to 1004%
100 to 1,000Under 1%
1,000 to 10,000Under 1%
10,000 to 100,000Under 1%
100,000 to 10,000,000Under 1%

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 0.2 km horizontally, 0.5 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
48°
Stations used
46

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 198 in the 60 days after this one and 84 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 198.

Before

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci39759376 (also filed as us7000d0rv). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 3:06 PM UTC.