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United States · California

M1.2 Earthquake near Kern County, California (United States)

UTC time: 2026-09-21 20:18:01 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M1.2 earthquake was recorded near Kern County, California (United States) on September 21, 2026 at 20:18 UTC. Earthquakes of this small magnitude are usually barely noticeable and cause no damage.

The data is provided by USGS and cross-checked across seismological networks. United States: 190 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M3.0.

Details

ID
a6044c0d2a2b933f3f9bbc5b7a984b419a9a8949
Magnitude
M1.2
Depth
-0.8 km
UTC time
2026-09-21 20:18:01 UTC
Local time
—
Country
United States
State
California
City
Kern County
County
Kern County
Source
usgs
Coordinates
35.04617, -118.33050
Temperature
17.0°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: -0.8 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km -0.8 km
Shallow
-0.8 km
0 km — shallower than the regional average (15.2 km)
Regional average: 15.2 km
Negative depth = focus above sea level (terrain elevation).
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Volcanoes nearby

  • Ubehebe Craters
    Distance: 233 km ·Maar(s) ·Elevation: 752 m ·Last eruption: -150 ·United States
  • Mammoth Mountain
    Distance: 294 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 3'369 m ·Last eruption: 1260 ·United States
  • Mono-Inyo Craters
    Distance: 313 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 2'796 m ·Last eruption: 1380 ·United States
  • Salton Buttes
    Distance: 324 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: -40 m ·Last eruption: 210 ·United States
  • Mono Lake Volcanic Field
    Distance: 334 km ·Volcanic field ·Elevation: 2'121 m ·Last eruption: 1790 ·United States
  • Uinkaret Field
    Distance: 492 km ·Volcanic field ·Elevation: 1'555 m ·Last eruption: 1100 ·United States

California

Context for this earthquake

21 Sep 2025 – 21 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 2.0 · 2,416 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

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Historic earthquake map · United States

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