QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3ml

Earthquake near Cabazon, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Cabazon in the 24 hours to 4:56 pm PST (00:56 UTC). The last one was M 2.8, 20 km (13 mi) SW, at 8:30 pm PDT on 14 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 87 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Cabazon

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) southeast of Cabazon, CA, at 3:19 pm PDT on 29 March 2016 (22:19 UTC), 15 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6km SE of Cabazon, CA

20 km (12 mi) E of Beaumont, CA · 124 km (77 mi) NNE of San Diego, CA

3:19 pm PDT, Mar 29, 2016 · · 15 km deep · released about 82 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Riverside County 70 kmSan Diego County 95 kmOrange County 98 kmSan Bernardino County 120 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
3:19 pm PDT on 29 March 2016 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) southeast of Cabazon, CA · earthquakes near Cabazon
Magnitude
M 2.3 (ml)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Riverside County, 70 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
San Gorgonio Pass fault, 7 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1562 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Cabazon, 6 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Banning, Idyllwild-Pine Cove, Idyllwild, Palm Springs, Valle Vista, Beaumont.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 82 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 12× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 82 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.4 on 2016-01-06 — about 1,400 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 34 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.3 The 1992 Landers, California Earthquake · 45 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 The 1918 San Jacinto, California Earthquake · 25 km WSW of this epicentre
  3. 6.3 The 1992 Big Bear, California Earthquake · 37 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 The 1992 Joshua Tree, California Earthquake · 40 km ENE of this epicentre
  5. 6.0 The 1948 Desert Hot Springs, California Earthquake · 39 km ENE of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 33.8818, -116.7413. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Riverside County, CA 70 km (44 mi) ESE earthquakes near Riverside County
San Diego County, CA 95 km (59 mi) S earthquakes near San Diego County
Orange County, CA 98 km (61 mi) WSW earthquakes near Orange County
San Bernardino County, CA 120 km (75 mi) NNE earthquakes near San Bernardino County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

46 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.8 3km ENE of Cabazon, CA
  2. 1.9 4km SW of Idyllwild, CA
  3. 1.6 9km N of Banning, CA
  4. 1.8 4km ENE of Calimesa, CA
  5. 1.5 4km SSE of Cabazon, CA
  6. 1.9 4km N of Beaumont, CA
  7. 1.6 5km SW of Idyllwild, CA
  8. 1.6 6km SSW of Redlands, CA
  9. 2.3 13km W of Anza, CA
  10. 2.0 14km W of Morongo Valley, CA
  11. 1.5 11km SSW of Idyllwild, CA
  12. 2.0 10km WNW of Anza, CA
  13. 1.5 4km SW of Anza, CA
  14. 1.5 14km NNE of Banning, CA
  15. 1.8 6km WNW of Anza, CA

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.