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United States · California

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

UTC time: 2026-09-17 03:23:23 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 17, 2026 at 03:23 UTC. With a focal depth of about 6 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. 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: 194 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M5.2.

Details

ID
ace4f2f6ee9cdf2a2b95a5f1ca1c5dfe53f41510
Magnitude
M1.2
Depth
5.7 km
UTC time
2026-09-17 03:23:23 UTC
Local time
—
Country
United States
State
California
City
Kern County
County
Kern County
Source
usgs
Coordinates
35.31183, -117.81600
Temperature
21.7°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 5.7 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 5.7 km
Shallow
5.7 km
5.7 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: 280 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 3'369 m ·Last eruption: 1260 ·United States
  • Mono-Inyo Craters
    Distance: 298 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 2'796 m ·Last eruption: 1380 ·United States
  • Salton Buttes
    Distance: 310 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: -40 m ·Last eruption: 210 ·United States
  • Mono Lake Volcanic Field
    Distance: 318 km ·Volcanic field ·Elevation: 2'121 m ·Last eruption: 1790 ·United States
  • Uinkaret Field
    Distance: 439 km ·Volcanic field ·Elevation: 1'555 m ·Last eruption: 1100 ·United States

California

Context for this earthquake

17 Sep 2025 – 17 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 2.0 · 2,411 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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