QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2ml

Earthquake near Yucca Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Yucca Valley in the 24 hours to 1:43 am PST (09:43 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 18 km (11 mi) SE, at 9:51 am PDT on 1 August 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 46 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Yucca Valley

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) southeast of Yucca Valley, CA, at 5:07 pm PDT on 24 September 2016 (00:07 UTC), 2.0 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 13km SE of Yucca Valley, CA

97 km (60 mi) E of Riverside, CA · 23 km (14 mi) NNE of Cathedral City, CA

5:07 pm PDT, Sep 24, 2016 · · 2.0 km deep · released about 62 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Yucca Valley Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Riverside County 45 kmSan Bernardino County 95 kmSan Diego County 117 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
5:07 pm PDT on 24 September 2016 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) southeast of Yucca Valley, CA · earthquakes near Yucca Valley
Magnitude
M 2.2 (ml)
Depth
2.0 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Riverside County, 45 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
Eureka Peak fault, under 1 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 3698 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 19 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Yucca Valley, 13 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: Yucca Valley 13 km, intensity II · Joshua Tree 13 km, intensity II · Desert Hot Springs 16 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 62 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 240,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 170,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 15× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 62 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 28 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.3 The 1992 Landers, California Earthquake · 22 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.3 The 1992 Big Bear, California Earthquake · 49 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 The 1992 Joshua Tree, California Earthquake · 7 km SSE of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 The 1948 Desert Hot Springs, California Earthquake · 4 km SSE of this epicentre
  5. 6.0 The 1986 North Palm Springs, California Earthquake · 24 km W 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 34.0178, -116.3493. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Riverside County, CA 45 km (28 mi) SE earthquakes near Riverside County
San Bernardino County, CA 95 km (59 mi) N earthquakes near San Bernardino County
San Diego County, CA 117 km (73 mi) SSW earthquakes near San Diego County
Imperial County, CA 142 km (89 mi) SE earthquakes near Imperial County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 21km E of Big Bear City, CA
  2. 1.5 12km NNE of Thousand Palms, CA
  3. 2.0 12km NNE of Thousand Palms, CA
  4. 2.1 6km NNW of Banning, CA
  5. 1.6 7km SSE of Idyllwild, CA
  6. 1.7 18km WNW of Morongo Valley, CA
  7. 2.1 4km N of Banning, CA
  8. 1.9 11km SW of Morongo Valley, CA
  9. 2.1 14km NW of Morongo Valley, CA
  10. 1.8 13km NNE of Cabazon, CA
  11. 1.9 9km S of Big Bear City, CA
  12. 1.6 5km SW of Morongo Valley, CA
  13. 2.8 11km NE of Indio, CA
  14. 2.1 11km SSE of Big Bear Lake, CA
  15. 1.6 11km SSE of Big Bear Lake, 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.