QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6ml

Earthquake near Borrego Springs, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Borrego Springs in the 24 hours to 5:05 pm PST (01:05 UTC). The last one was M 4.9, 145 km (90 mi) SE, at 10:27 am PST on 3 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 321 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Borrego Springs

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) west-southwest of Borrego Springs, CA, at 1:12 pm PST on 13 December 2016 (21:12 UTC), 4.8 km deep. 4 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4km WSW of Borrego Springs, CA

83 km (51 mi) NE of San Diego, CA · 55 km (34 mi) S of Palm Desert, CA

1:12 pm PST, Dec 13, 2016 · · 4.8 km deep · released about 260 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Borrego Springs Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Diego County 42 kmRiverside County 66 kmImperial County 102 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
1:12 pm PST on 13 December 2016 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) west-southwest of Borrego Springs, CA · earthquakes near Borrego Springs
Magnitude
M 2.6 (ml)
Depth
4.8 km below the surface
Felt
4 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
San Diego County, 42 km SW
Nearest mapped fault
San Jacinto fault, 10 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 3563 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Borrego Springs, 4 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Borrego Springs 4 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 260 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 59,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 42,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.7× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 260 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 5.2 on 2016-06-10 — about 7,200 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 15 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.6 The 1968 Borrego Mountain, California Earthquake · 30 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 The 1954 San Jacinto Fault, California Earthquake · 32 km E of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 16km WSW of Oasis, CA · 23 km NE of this epicentre
  4. 5.7 Eastern San Diego County, California · 30 km E of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 8km NNE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 30 km E 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 33.2483, -116.4172. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Diego County, CA 42 km (26 mi) SW earthquakes near San Diego County
Riverside County, CA 66 km (41 mi) NE earthquakes near Riverside County
Imperial County, CA 102 km (63 mi) ESE earthquakes near Imperial 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. 1.7 9km NE of Aguanga, CA
  2. 1.9 4km ESE of Palomar Observatory, CA
  3. 1.8 24km NW of Ocotillo, CA
  4. 1.9 6km WNW of Lake Henshaw, CA
  5. 1.6 14km SW of Borrego Springs, CA
  6. 1.8 8km NNW of Julian, CA
  7. 2.3 10km N of Borrego Springs, CA
  8. 2.3 10km N of Borrego Springs, CA
  9. 1.6 4km E of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  10. 1.6 15km NE of Borrego Springs, CA
  11. 1.6 24km N of Borrego Springs, CA
  12. 1.7 10km SSE of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  13. 1.9 13km E of Borrego Springs, CA
  14. 2.5 14km ENE of Borrego Springs, CA
  15. 1.9 8km NE of Aguanga, 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.