Earthquakes in Imperial County, California
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Imperial County was M 2.7, 8 km W of Holtville, CA, 27 km (17 mi) SSW of the centre of Imperial County, at 7:34 am PST on 14 November 2026, 12 km deep. The estimated shaking at the centre of Imperial County was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 2 smaller earthquakes have been recorded near Imperial County since.
In the last 24 hours, 17 earthquakes of M1.5 or more were recorded within 50 km (31 mi) of the centre of Imperial County; the largest was M 3.3, 8 km W of Holtville, CA, 27 km (17 mi) SSW of the centre of Imperial County, at 3:12 am PST.
- Last 24 hours
- 17
- Last 7 days
- 18
- Last 30 days
- 31 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 58
- Last 12 months
- 606 · largest M 4.7 on 10 May 2026
- Since 2016
- 7,705 earthquakes of M1.5 or more
- Largest since 2016
- M 5.3 on 5 June 2021, 11km W of Calipatria, CA
- Nearest mapped fault
- Brawley Seismic Zone, 18 km from the centre to its surface trace
Latest quake, 24 hours and 7 days: the QuakeIndex database, which reads USGS every 30 seconds, read at ; 30 days and 12 months: the QuakeIndex catalogue, counted to · earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 50 km (31 mi) of the centre of Imperial County · shaking is estimated for the centre with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses
Quiet QuakeIndex 9 / 100
2 quakes of M1.5 or larger in the last 7 days within 50 km. Normal for here is 2 to 9 in a week.
Compared against Imperial County, California's own 10 years · USGS catalogue · updated
If you felt one
- Was that an earthquake? — checks what was recorded near you in the last hour
- Report what you felt to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us, and they are what produces the intensity maps
- Expect aftershocks, and be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel one; if you are in a damaged building, go outside and move away from it (Ready.gov, FEMA; what to do during and after an earthquake)
- Near the coast, go inland or to higher ground as soon as strong shaking stops (Ready.gov); official warnings are on Tsunami.gov
- Check the roads — Nevada Explorer — for Reno, Tahoe and the Sierra passes
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
The last 30 days
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with this strip and the latest quakes near Imperial County, California, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
Live · last 7 days
Latest earthquakes within 50 km
1 in the latest snapshot we hold; the full 7 days load from USGS as this page opens.
Source USGS · snapshot of
The last 7 days on the map
Open the full map — zoom anywhere, or find your own location →
The centre is 33.041, -115.355, the Census internal point of Imperial County, California from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Activity on this page is measured within 50 km of it — the dashed circle.
Largest on record nearby
The strongest shaking this record implies at the centre of Imperial County, California is intensity IV (light), from the M 5.3 of 2021, 28 km away. At that level most people indoors notice it; dishes and windows rattle.
| Magnitude | When | Where | Shaking here (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 5.3 | 11km W of Calipatria, CA · felt by 1,173 | IV · Light | |
| M 4.9 | 4km NE of Westmorland, CA · felt by 368 | IV · Light | |
| M 4.8 | 3 km NNW of El Centro, CA · felt by 2,056 | III · Weak | |
| M 4.7 | 3 km WSW of Brawley, CA · felt by 203 | IV · Light | |
| M 4.6 | 12km SSE of Bombay Beach, CA · felt by 87 | III · Weak | |
| M 4.6 | 2 km NNW of El Centro, CA · felt by 415 | III · Weak | |
| M 4.5 | 2 km W of Brawley, CA · felt by 165 | III · Weak | |
| M 4.5 | 4km NE of Westmorland, CA · felt by 65 | III · Weak |
From the QuakeIndex catalogue, built from the USGS FDSN event service · within 50 km of the centre above. Shaking is an estimate for the centre from magnitude, depth and distance, with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses (Atkinson & Wald, 2007), on the Modified Mercalli scale. Ground conditions change it locally; it is a description of the past, not a hazard rating.
Before 2016
The USGS record from 1900 to 2015 lists 34 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km of the centre of Imperial County, California; the 8 largest:
- 6.9 The 1940 Imperial Valley, California Earthquake · 22 km S of the centre
- 6.6 The 1942 Fish Creek Mountains, California Earthquake · 41 km W of the centre
- 6.6 The 1987 Superstition Hills, California Earthquake · 46 km W of the centre
- 6.4 The 1979 Imperial Valley Earthquake, California-Baja California · 42 km S of the centre
- 6.3 The 1906 Imperial Valley, California Earthquake · 21 km SW of the centre
- 6.2 The 1987 Elmore Ranch, California Earthquake · 41 km W of the centre
- 6.0 The 1915 Imperial Valley, California Earthquakes (First Major Event) · 30 km SSW of the centre
- 5.9 The 1915 Imperial Valley, California Earthquakes (Second Major Event) · 30 km SSW of the centre
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. Epicentres of early earthquakes are estimates. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- Brawley Seismic Zone, 18 km from the centre of Imperial County, California to its surface trace
- Imperial fault, 29 km from the centre of Imperial County, California to its surface trace
- San Jacinto fault, 32 km from the centre of Imperial County, California to its surface trace
- Extra fault, 45 km from the centre of Imperial County, California to its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database, within 50 km. Near is not the same as on, and faults with no surface trace are not in it.
Town pages near Imperial County, California
Brawley 18 km · 225 M2.5+ named after it · Calipatria 18 km · 138 M2.5+ named after it · Holtville 26 km · 61 M2.5+ named after it · Imperial 29 km · 32 M2.5+ named after it · El Centro 34 km · 128 M2.5+ named after it · Calexico 42 km · 4 M2.5+ named after it
Each town page lists every M1.5+ earthquake within 30 km since 2016 and the ones USGS named after it. Town names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).
Be ready
Earthquakes cannot be predicted, here or anywhere, so the useful step is the one taken beforehand. The advice below is from the agencies responsible for it.
- Ready.gov: earthquakes (FEMA) — what to do before, during and after, including Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- Build a kit (FEMA) — water, food and supplies for several days; our summary
- USGS: preparedness — the hazard behind the advice, from the agency that records every quake on this page
- The Great ShakeOut — the yearly earthquake drill, with material for homes, schools and workplaces
- ShakeAlert covers Imperial County, California: alerts reach phones through Wireless Emergency Alerts and the MyShake app, seconds before shaking arrives
- Tsunami.gov (NOAA) — the official tsunami warnings for the coast; a quake page here never stands in for one
- California Earthquake Authority — retrofit grants and the state's not-for-profit earthquake insurance