QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2ml

Earthquake near Idyllwild, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Idyllwild in the 24 hours to 2:39 am PST (10:39 UTC). The last one was M 2.7, 19 km (12 mi) WNW, at 1:04 am PDT on 11 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 58 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Idyllwild

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) southwest of Idyllwild, CA, at 4:20 pm PST on 9 March 2017 (00:20 UTC), 16 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6km SW of Idyllwild, CA

21 km (13 mi) E of Hemet, CA · 105 km (65 mi) NNE of San Diego, CA

4:20 pm PST, Mar 9, 2017 · · 16 km deep · released about 64 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Idyllwild Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Riverside County 71 kmSan Diego County 76 kmOrange County 93 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
4:20 pm PST on 9 March 2017 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) southwest of Idyllwild, CA · earthquakes near Idyllwild
Magnitude
M 2.2 (ml)
Depth
16 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Riverside County, 71 km E
Nearest mapped fault
San Jacinto 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 3467 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 Idyllwild, 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: Idyllwild 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 64 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 5.8 230,000× 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 64 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 29,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 14 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 The 1918 San Jacinto, California Earthquake · 20 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 The 1986 North Palm Springs, California Earthquake · 36 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.4 20km NNW of Borrego Springs, CA · 42 km SE of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 4km NNE of Desert Hot Springs, CA · 42 km NE of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 6km SSE of Hemet, CA · 16 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 33.7072, -116.7690. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Riverside County, CA 71 km (44 mi) E earthquakes near Riverside County
San Diego County, CA 76 km (47 mi) S earthquakes near San Diego County
Orange County, CA 93 km (58 mi) W earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 19km N of Cabazon, CA
  2. 1.6 6km SW of Idyllwild, CA
  3. 2.0 10km WNW of Palomar Observatory, CA
  4. 2.0 5km SW of Idyllwild, CA
  5. 1.6 5km ESE of Murrieta Hot Springs, CA
  6. 1.6 9km NE of Aguanga, CA
  7. 1.6 8km NE of Aguanga, CA
  8. 2.1 6km SE of Valle Vista, CA
  9. 2.0 15km SE of Anza, CA
  10. 1.6 7km NE of Banning, CA
  11. 1.7 4km SE of Yucaipa, CA
  12. 1.6 8km NE of Aguanga, CA
  13. 1.9 4km NNE of Cabazon, CA
  14. 1.6 10km NNE of Pala, CA
  15. 1.8 7km NE of Pala, 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.