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United States · California

M0.3 Earthquake near Kern County, California (United States)

UTC time: 2026-08-21 20:17:59 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

On August 21, 2026 at 20:17 UTC, a magnitude M0.3 earthquake occurred near Kern County, California (United States). With a focal depth of about 5 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Events of this size typically go unnoticed.

The data is provided by USGS and cross-checked across seismological networks. United States: 181 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M4.1.

Details

ID
ab0aec3f2c4a5fa9d1af5e4393162cc8230ba864
Magnitude
M0.3
Depth
5.0 km
UTC time
2026-08-21 20:17:59 UTC
Local time
—
Country
United States
State
California
City
Kern County
County
Kern County
Source
usgs
Coordinates
35.47033, -118.41100
Temperature
34.2°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 5 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 5 km
Shallow
5 km
5 km — shallower than the regional average (15.2 km)
Regional average: 15.2 km
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: 193 km ·Maar(s) ·Elevation: 752 m ·Last eruption: -150 ·United States
  • Mammoth Mountain
    Distance: 247 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 3'369 m ·Last eruption: 1260 ·United States
  • Mono-Inyo Craters
    Distance: 265 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 2'796 m ·Last eruption: 1380 ·United States
  • Mono Lake Volcanic Field
    Distance: 287 km ·Volcanic field ·Elevation: 2'121 m ·Last eruption: 1790 ·United States
  • Salton Buttes
    Distance: 360 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: -40 m ·Last eruption: 210 ·United States
  • Soda Lakes
    Distance: 453 km ·Maar(s) ·Elevation: 1'251 m ·United States

California

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 2.0 · 2,447 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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