QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Moreno Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Moreno Valley in the 24 hours to 4:50 am PST (12:50 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 11 km (7 mi) N, at 10:40 am PDT on 31 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Moreno Valley

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) north-northeast of Moreno Valley, CA, at 3:20 am PDT on 11 September 2017 (10:20 UTC), 15 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4km NNE of Moreno Valley, CA

in Moreno Valley, CA

3:20 am PDT, Sep 11, 2017 · · 15 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 61 kmLos Angeles County 100 kmSan Diego County 112 kmRiverside County 115 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
3:20 am PDT on 11 September 2017 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) north-northeast of Moreno Valley, CA · earthquakes near Moreno Valley
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Orange County, 61 km WSW
Nearest mapped fault
San Jacinto fault, 3 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 3304 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Moreno Valley, 3 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: March Air Force Base, Loma Linda, Redlands, Grand Terrace, Highgrove, Mentone.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 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 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 730,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 65× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 7,900 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 22 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 The 1918 San Jacinto, California Earthquake · 31 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 6.3 The 1992 Big Bear, California Earthquake · 44 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 6.2 3 km SE of San Bernardino, California · 15 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 The 1910 Lake Elsinore, California Earthquake · 34 km SSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.6 7km ENE of Running Springs, CA · 34 km NNE 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 33.9640, -117.2107. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 61 km (38 mi) WSW earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 100 km (62 mi) WNW earthquakes near Los Angeles County
San Diego County, CA 112 km (70 mi) SSE earthquakes near San Diego County
Riverside County, CA 115 km (71 mi) ESE earthquakes near Riverside County
San Bernardino County, CA 137 km (85 mi) NE earthquakes near San Bernardino County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 4km SE of Yucaipa, CA
  2. 1.7 14km SW of Lucerne Valley, CA
  3. 1.8 16km SSE of Hemet, CA
  4. 1.6 6km SE of Ontario, CA
  5. 1.7 6km SSE of Beaumont, CA
  6. 1.7 2km SSE of Muscoy, CA
  7. 1.6 2km ESE of Loma Linda, CA
  8. 2.1 2km NNE of Loma Linda, CA
  9. 1.6 5km SSW of Redlands, CA
  10. 2.1 2km SE of Loma Linda, CA
  11. 2.6 3km SE of Loma Linda, CA
  12. 2.6 6km ENE of Lake Arrowhead, CA
  13. 1.9 6km ENE of Lake Arrowhead, CA
  14. 1.5 6km NE of Lake Arrowhead, CA
  15. 1.5 6km NE of Lake Arrowhead, 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.