QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5ml

Earthquake near Fontana, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Fontana in the 24 hours to 12:29 pm PST (20:29 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 5 km (3 mi) W, at 6:17 am PDT on 26 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Fontana

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 25 km (15 mi) north of Fontana, CA, at 11:43 pm PST on 9 March 2017 (07:43 UTC), 11 km deep. 5 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6km NNE of Lytle Creek, CA

92 km (57 mi) ENE of Los Angeles, CA · 18 km (11 mi) WSW of Hesperia, CA

11:43 pm PST, Mar 9, 2017 · · 11 km deep · released about 150 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 73 kmOrange County 76 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
11:43 pm PST on 9 March 2017 ()
Where
25 km (15 mi) north of Fontana, CA · earthquakes near Fontana
Magnitude
M 2.5 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
5 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 73 km W
Nearest mapped fault
Cleghorn fault, 2 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 19 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Fontana, 25 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: Wrightwood 15 km, intensity II · Phelan 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 150 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 72,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 150 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 8 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.2 3 km SE of San Bernardino, California · 32 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 The 1991 Sierra Madre, California Earthquake · 48 km W of this epicentre
  3. 5.6 7km ENE of Running Springs, CA · 41 km E of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 The 1990 Upland, California Earthquake · 27 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 5km S of Chino Hills, CA · 48 km SSW 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 34.3102, -117.4770. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 73 km (46 mi) W earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Orange County, CA 76 km (47 mi) SSW earthquakes near Orange County
San Bernardino County, CA 133 km (83 mi) ENE earthquakes near San Bernardino County
Kern County, CA 162 km (101 mi) NW earthquakes near Kern County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 6km E of Running Springs, CA
  2. 2.8 2km SE of Loma Linda, CA
  3. 1.6 2km ESE of Loma Linda, CA
  4. 1.8 5km SSE of Lytle Creek, CA
  5. 2.1 12km SE of Running Springs, CA
  6. 1.6 14km NNE of Running Springs, CA
  7. 1.6 16km NNE of Apple Valley, CA
  8. 1.6 1 km ESE of Loma Linda, California
  9. 1.5 6 km SSE of Lytle Creek, California
  10. 2.0 8 km ENE of San Antonio Heights, California
  11. 1.6 9 km E of Running Springs, California
  12. 1.7 3 km NNE of Fontana, California
  13. 2.0 5 km NW of Fontana, California
  14. 1.7 5 km E of Running Springs, California
  15. 1.6 2 km SE of Home Gardens, California

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.