QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Lucerne Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Lucerne Valley in the 24 hours to 6:52 am PST (14:52 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 19 km (12 mi) SSE, at 1:40 am PDT on 6 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 18 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Lucerne Valley

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) south-southwest of Lucerne Valley, CA, at 1:59 pm PST on 2 January 2017 (21:59 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 8km SSW of Lucerne Valley, CA

25 km (16 mi) SE of Apple Valley, CA · 135 km (84 mi) ENE of Los Angeles, CA

1:59 pm PST, Jan 2, 2017 · · 0.3 km deep · released about 5.7 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Bernardino County 93 kmOrange County 105 kmLos Angeles County 117 kmRiverside County 118 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
1:59 pm PST on 2 January 2017 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) south-southwest of Lucerne Valley, CA · earthquakes near Lucerne Valley
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
0.3 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Bernardino County, 93 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
North Frontal thrust system, 6 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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Lucerne Valley, 8 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: Lucerne Valley 8 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.7 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 170× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.7 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 20,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 13 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.3 The 1992 Big Bear, California Earthquake · 26 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 6.2 3 km SE of San Bernardino, California · 40 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 5.6 7km ENE of Running Springs, CA · 16 km S of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 11km SSE of Big Bear Lake, California · 28 km SSE of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 26km NNW of Yucca Valley, CA · 46 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 34.3802, -117.0108. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Bernardino County, CA 93 km (58 mi) NE earthquakes near San Bernardino County
Orange County, CA 105 km (66 mi) SW earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 117 km (73 mi) W earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Riverside County, CA 118 km (73 mi) SE earthquakes near Riverside County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 4km NW of Beaumont, CA
  2. 2.0 35km NE of Lucerne Valley, CA
  3. 2.0 4km ESE of Yucaipa, CA
  4. 1.7 1km SSE of Loma Linda, CA
  5. 3.1 5km NE of Yucaipa, CA
  6. 1.6 10km NNW of Big Bear City, CA
  7. 1.7 7km SSW of Redlands, CA
  8. 1.9 11km WNW of Morongo Valley, CA
  9. 2.1 8km NNE of Cabazon, CA
  10. 1.7 4km W of Calimesa, CA
  11. 1.8 12km S of Big Bear Lake, CA
  12. 1.7 9km N of Cabazon, CA
  13. 1.7 3km SE of Loma Linda, CA
  14. 2.5 14km S of Big Bear Lake, CA
  15. 1.8 10km S of Big Bear City, 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.