Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.5ml
Earthquake near Big Bear Lake, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Big Bear Lake in the 24 hours to 4:07 am PST (12:07 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 7 km (4 mi) NE, at 1:40 am PDT on 6 October 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 18 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Big Bear Lake
This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) north-northwest of Big Bear Lake, CA, at 9:50 am PDT on 19 June 2018 (16:50 UTC), 4.9 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 6km NNW of Big Bear Lake, CA
30 km (19 mi) NE of Highland, CA · 139 km (87 mi) ENE of Los Angeles, CA
- When
- 9:50 am PDT on 19 June 2018 ()
- Where
- 7 km (4 mi) north-northwest of Big Bear Lake, CA · earthquakes near Big Bear Lake
- Magnitude
- M 2.5 (ml)
- Depth
- 4.9 km below the surface
- Felt
- 1 report · strongest reported intensity I
- Nearest
- San Bernardino County, 93 km NE
- Nearest mapped fault
- Helendale-South Lockhart fault, 10 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 Big Bear Lake, CA
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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 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In Big Bear Lake, 7 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: Big Bear Lake 7 km, intensity III · Big Bear City 9 km, intensity II · Lucerne Valley 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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 99,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 70,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6.2× the energy of this one
- 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
The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.5 on 2018-05-08 — about 1,100 times the energy of this one.
Before 2016, the USGS record lists 21 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 7.3 The 1992 Landers, California Earthquake · 47 km ESE of this epicentre
- 6.3 The 1992 Big Bear, California Earthquake · 15 km SE of this epicentre
- 6.2 3 km SE of San Bernardino, California · 38 km SW of this epicentre
- 6.0 The 1986 North Palm Springs, California Earthquake · 45 km SE of this epicentre
- 5.6 7km ENE of Running Springs, CA · 12 km SW 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 34.2998, -116.9332. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Bernardino County, CA | 93 km (58 mi) | NE | earthquakes near San Bernardino County |
| Orange County, CA | 104 km (65 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Orange County |
| Riverside County, CA | 107 km (66 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Riverside County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
57 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.6 17km NNE of Apple Valley, CA
- 1.7 4km WNW of Cabazon, CA
- 1.9 0km NE of Loma Linda, CA
- 1.6 8km NE of Cabazon, CA
- 1.9 8km SSW of Big Bear Lake, CA
- 1.5 9km SSW of Big Bear Lake, CA
- 1.8 9km SSW of Big Bear Lake, CA
- 1.6 12km SSE of Big Bear Lake, CA
- 1.8 4km WNW of Cabazon, CA
- 1.6 1km NNE of Cabazon, CA
- 2.5 21km N of Yucca Valley, CA
- 3.2 6km NNW of Big Bear Lake, CA
- 1.9 5km WNW of Banning, CA
- 2.0 4km WNW of Cabazon, CA
- 1.6 5km NNW of Cabazon, 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.