QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Coronado, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Coronado in the 24 hours to 5:42 am PST (13:42 UTC). The last one was M 4.7, 155 km (96 mi) ENE, at 12:10 am PDT on 10 May 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 203 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Coronado

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) west-southwest of Coronado, CA, at 10:21 am PST on 19 December 2018 (18:21 UTC), 17 km deep.

USGS: 13km WSW of Coronado, CA

25 km (16 mi) SW of San Diego, CA · 20 km (12 mi) W of National City, CA

10:21 am PST, Dec 19, 2018 · · 17 km deep · released about 5.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Diego County 65 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
10:21 am PST on 19 December 2018 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) west-southwest of Coronado, CA · earthquakes near Coronado
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
17 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Diego County, 65 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Newport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon fault, 9 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 2885 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Coronado, 13 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: San Diego, Imperial Beach, National City, Chula Vista, Bonita, Lemon Grove.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,700,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 170× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.6 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 32.6408, -117.3068. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Diego County, CA 65 km (41 mi) NE earthquakes near San Diego County
Orange County, CA 123 km (77 mi) NNW earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 16km SW of La Jolla, CA
  2. 2.3 32km W of La Jolla, CA
  3. 1.9 6km NNW of Lakeside, CA
  4. 2.9 6km NNW of Lakeside, CA
  5. 1.7 4km NE of San Ysidro, CA
  6. 1.5 1km SE of Jamul, CA
  7. 1.6 7 km ESE of Chula Vista, CA
  8. 1.5 7 km ESE of Chula Vista, CA
  9. 1.5 4km NE of San Ysidro, CA
  10. 1.5 6km NNW of Lakeside, CA
  11. 1.7 7km ESE of Chula Vista, CA
  12. 3.2 26km WSW of Encinitas, CA
  13. 1.9 6km NNW of Lakeside, CA
  14. 1.7 3km NE of San Ysidro, CA
  15. 2.2 16km SW of La Jolla, 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.