QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0ml

Earthquake near Julian, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Julian in the 24 hours to 12:50 am PST (08:50 UTC). The last one was M 4.9, 151 km (94 mi) ESE, at 10:27 am PST on 3 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 321 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Julian

This page: a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded 14 km (9 mi) northeast of Julian, CA, at 4:38 pm PST on 6 December 2017 (00:38 UTC), 11 km deep. 32 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 14km NE of Julian, CA

71 km (44 mi) ENE of San Diego, CA · 55 km (34 mi) E of Escondido, CA

4:38 pm PST, Dec 6, 2017 · · 11 km deep · released about 950 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Julian Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Diego County 31 kmRiverside County 78 kmImperial County 106 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
4:38 pm PST on 6 December 2017 ()
Where
14 km (9 mi) northeast of Julian, CA · earthquakes near Julian
Magnitude
M 3.0 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
32 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
San Diego County, 31 km WSW
Nearest mapped fault
Elsinore fault, 4 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 3117 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 35 km (22 mi) from the epicentre. In Julian, 14 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: Julian 14 km, intensity III · Borrego Springs 15 km, intensity II · San Diego Country Estates 32 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 950 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 11,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 950 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 1,900 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 · 35 km E of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 The 1954 San Jacinto Fault, California Earthquake · 41 km ENE of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 16km WSW of Oasis, CA · 35 km NE of this epicentre
  4. 5.7 Eastern San Diego County, California · 36 km E of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 8km NNE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 36 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 33.1500, -116.4817. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Diego County, CA 31 km (19 mi) WSW earthquakes near San Diego County
Riverside County, CA 78 km (49 mi) NE earthquakes near Riverside County
Imperial County, CA 106 km (66 mi) E earthquakes near Imperial County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 9km NE of Aguanga, CA
  2. 2.3 22km ESE of Anza, CA
  3. 2.2 9km SE of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  4. 1.6 14km SW of Borrego Springs, CA
  5. 2.6 14km NE of Julian, CA
  6. 1.8 8km NE of Aguanga, CA
  7. 2.0 16km ESE of Anza, CA
  8. 1.6 9km NE of Aguanga, CA
  9. 1.6 9km S of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  10. 1.6 9km NE of Aguanga, CA
  11. 1.9 22km ESE of Anza, CA
  12. 1.7 26km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  13. 1.7 10km WSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  14. 1.8 17km NW of Ocotillo, CA
  15. 1.6 9km 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.