QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Boron, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Boron in the 24 hours to 1:46 am PST (09:46 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 1.6 earthquake was recorded 19 km (12 mi) east of Boron, CA, at 3:42 pm PDT on 24 May 2018 (22:42 UTC), 1.0 km deep.

USGS: 18km E of Boron, CA

52 km (32 mi) N of Victorville, CA · 139 km (86 mi) NE of Los Angeles, CA

3:42 pm PDT, May 24, 2018 · · 1.0 km deep · released about 8.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 115 kmSan Bernardino County 116 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
3:42 pm PDT on 24 May 2018 ()
Where
19 km (12 mi) east of Boron, CA · earthquakes near Boron
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
1.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
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 3093 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 11 km (7 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 8.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 110× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.4 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 34.9845, -117.4470. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection 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 123 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

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

  1. 1.5 4km NW of Boron, CA
  2. 1.6 5km NNW of Boron, CA
  3. 2.0 12km NE of Barstow, CA
  4. 1.7 5km NW of Boron, CA
  5. 1.7 16km NNE of Apple Valley, CA
  6. 1.9 5km NNW of Boron, CA
  7. 1.9 5km NNW of Boron, CA
  8. 2.0 8km ESE of Barstow, CA
  9. 1.5 5km NNW of Boron, CA
  10. 1.9 6km N of Boron, CA
  11. 2.6 2km WNW of Adelanto, CA
  12. 2.4 41km E of Johannesburg, CA
  13. 1.5 17km NNE of Apple Valley, CA
  14. 1.7 5km N of Boron, CA
  15. 1.6 15km SW of Johannesburg, 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.