QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Phelan, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Phelan in the 24 hours to 1:42 am PST (09:42 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 46 km (28 mi) S, at 5:37 am PDT on 2 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 730 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Phelan

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) south of Phelan, CA, at 2:22 pm PST on 27 January 2017 (22:22 UTC), 6.3 km deep.

USGS: 6km S of Phelan, CA

87 km (54 mi) ENE of Los Angeles, CA · 23 km (14 mi) W of Hesperia, CA

2:22 pm PST, Jan 27, 2017 · · 6.3 km deep · released about 16 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Phelan Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 67 kmOrange County 80 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
2:22 pm PST on 27 January 2017 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) south of Phelan, CA · earthquakes near Phelan
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
6.3 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 67 km WSW
Nearest mapped fault
San Andreas fault, 5 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 3564 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 Phelan, 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.

Likely felt in: Phelan 6 km, intensity II · Wrightwood 6 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 16 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 930,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 660,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 59× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 16 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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.2 3 km SE of San Bernardino, California · 42 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 The 1991 Sierra Madre, California Earthquake · 41 km WSW of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 The 1990 Upland, California Earthquake · 28 km SSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 Near San Bernardino, California · 47 km ESE of this epicentre
  5. 5.2 3km W of Lytle Creek, CA · 13 km SSE 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 34.3712, -117.5662. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 67 km (42 mi) WSW earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Orange County, CA 80 km (50 mi) SSW earthquakes near Orange County
Kern County, CA 152 km (94 mi) NW earthquakes near Kern County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 1 km ESE of Loma Linda, California
  2. 1.5 6 km SSE of Lytle Creek, California
  3. 2.0 8 km ENE of San Antonio Heights, California
  4. 1.7 3 km NNE of Fontana, California
  5. 2.0 5 km NW of Fontana, California
  6. 1.7 2 km SE of Loma Linda, California
  7. 2.4 4 km SSE of Lytle Creek, California
  8. 2.3 1 km NE of Loma Linda, California
  9. 3.0 2 km W of San Bernardino, California
  10. 1.7 15 km NNE of Apple Valley, California
  11. 2.5 2km SE of Loma Linda, CA
  12. 1.5 1km SW of Loma Linda, CA
  13. 3.1 2km ESE of Loma Linda, CA
  14. 1.5 3km NE of Fontana, CA
  15. 1.8 4km SE of Loma Linda, 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.