Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 3.2ml
Earthquake near Adelanto, CA
USGS: 12km NNW of Adelanto, CA
20 km (12 mi) NW of Victorville, CA · 112 km (70 mi) NE of Los Angeles, CA
- When
- 4:58 am PDT on 6 April 2016 ()
- Where
- 12 km (8 mi) NNW of Adelanto, CA · earthquakes near Adelanto
- Magnitude
- M 3.2 (ml)
- Depth
- 7.3 km below the surface
- Felt
- 29 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- Los Angeles County, 89 km SW
- Nearest mapped fault
- Helendale-South Lockhart fault, 18 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 1568 days ago
A magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 12 km (8 mi) NNW of Adelanto, CA, at 4:58 am PDT on 6 April 2016 (11:58 UTC). 29 people have reported feeling it to USGS. This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Silver Lakes, Victorville, Spring Valley Lake, Phelan.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 2,000 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 170,000× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 7,700× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 5,400× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 3.2 about 2,000 lb of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.1× more
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
No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.
Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:
- 5.2 3km W of Lytle Creek, CA · 47 km S 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 34.6745, -117.4805. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County, CA | 89 km (55 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Los Angeles County |
| Orange County, CA | 114 km (71 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Orange County |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 120 km (75 mi) | E | earthquakes near San Bernardino County |
| Kern County, CA | 136 km (85 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Kern County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
36 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.6 6km NNW of Boron, CA
- 1.9 6km NNW of Boron, CA
- 1.7 9km SSW of Boron, CA
- 1.8 6km NNW of Boron, CA
- 1.8 6km NNW of Boron, CA
- 1.6 6km NNW of Boron, CA
- 1.5 6km NNW of Boron, CA
- 1.5 6km NNW of Boron, CA
- 1.8 5km NNW of Boron, CA
- 1.5 16km NNE of Apple Valley, CA
- 1.5 6km NNW of Boron, CA
- 1.7 15km NW of Lake Los Angeles, CA
- 1.5 6km NNW of Boron, CA
- 1.5 17km NNE of Apple Valley, CA
- 1.6 5km NNW of Boron, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.