Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.1ml
Earthquake near Boron, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Boron in the 24 hours to 1:47 am PST (09:47 UTC). The last one was M 1.8, 5 km (3 mi) NNW, at 4:15 pm PST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Boron
This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 19 km (12 mi) east of Boron, CA, at 2:10 am PDT on 18 May 2018 (09:10 UTC), 1.6 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 19km E of Boron, CA
51 km (32 mi) N of Victorville, CA · 139 km (86 mi) NE of Los Angeles, CA
- When
- 2:10 am PDT on 18 May 2018 ()
- Where
- 19 km (12 mi) east of Boron, CA · earthquakes near Boron
- Magnitude
- M 2.1 (ml)
- Depth
- 1.6 km below the surface
- Felt
- 1 report · strongest reported intensity II
- Nearest
- Los Angeles County, 115 km SW
- Nearest mapped fault
- Helendale-South Lockhart 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 3030 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Boron, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Boron, CA. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 17 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Boron, 19 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.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Silver Lakes.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 44 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 340,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 240,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.1 about 44 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 since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.
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 34.9827, -117.4440. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County, CA | 115 km (72 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Los Angeles County |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 116 km (72 mi) | E | earthquakes near San Bernardino County |
| Kern County, CA | 124 km (77 mi) | WNW | 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.
- 1.7 5km NW of Boron, CA
- 1.7 16km NNE of Apple Valley, CA
- 1.9 5km NNW of Boron, CA
- 1.9 5km NNW of Boron, CA
- 2.0 8km ESE of Barstow, CA
- 1.5 5km NNW of Boron, CA
- 1.9 6km N of Boron, CA
- 2.6 2km WNW of Adelanto, CA
- 2.4 41km E of Johannesburg, CA
- 1.5 17km NNE of Apple Valley, CA
- 1.7 5km N of Boron, CA
- 1.6 15km SW of Johannesburg, CA
- 2.1 10km ENE of Barstow, CA
- 1.7 5km NNW of Boron, CA
- 1.9 13km NE of Barstow, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.