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United States · California

M1.8 Earthquake near Kern County, California (United States)

UTC time: 2026-09-20 08:46:38 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M1.8 earthquake was recorded near Kern County, California (United States) on September 20, 2026 at 08:46 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 16 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this small magnitude are usually barely noticeable and cause no damage.

The event was recorded by USGS. United States: 200 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M5.3.

Details

ID
e22de2badeda1cf9e0292dcb6eabd4b82ce2f764
Magnitude
M1.8
Depth
16.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-20 08:46:38 UTC
Local time
—
Country
United States
State
California
City
Kern County
County
Kern County
Source
usgs
Coordinates
35.64850, -119.01450
Temperature
20.5°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 16 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 16 km
Shallow
16 km
16 km — close to 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: 207 km ·Maar(s) ·Elevation: 752 m ·Last eruption: -150 ·United States
  • Mammoth Mountain
    Distance: 220 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 3'369 m ·Last eruption: 1260 ·United States
  • Mono-Inyo Craters
    Distance: 240 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 2'796 m ·Last eruption: 1380 ·United States
  • Mono Lake Volcanic Field
    Distance: 261 km ·Volcanic field ·Elevation: 2'121 m ·Last eruption: 1790 ·United States
  • Salton Buttes
    Distance: 414 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: -40 m ·Last eruption: 210 ·United States
  • Soda Lakes
    Distance: 431 km ·Maar(s) ·Elevation: 1'251 m ·United States

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Meadows FieldUnited States · BFL · KBFL
    24.2 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-20

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

California

Context for this earthquake

20 Sep 2025 – 20 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 2.0 · 2,417 Catalogue entries

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

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · United States

Open history map
Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · United States

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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