QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8ml

Earthquake near Joshua Tree, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Joshua Tree in the 24 hours to 12:48 pm PST (20:48 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 17 km (11 mi) S, at 9:51 am PDT on 1 August 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 46 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Joshua Tree

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) north of Joshua Tree, CA, at 7:51 pm PDT on 19 September 2020 (02:51 UTC), 2.9 km deep. 5 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 19km SSW of Ludlow, CA

7:51 pm PDT, Sep 19, 2020 · · 2.9 km deep · released about 550 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Joshua Tree Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Bernardino County 33 kmRiverside County 95 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
7:51 pm PDT on 19 September 2020 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) north of Joshua Tree, CA · earthquakes near Joshua Tree
Magnitude
M 2.8 (ml)
Depth
2.9 km below the surface
Felt
5 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
San Bernardino County, 33 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Bullion Mountains fault, 5 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 2175 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 29 km (18 mi) from the epicentre. In Joshua Tree, 48 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 550 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 28,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 19,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.7× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 550 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 4.3 on 2016-02-20 — about 160 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 14 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.3 The 1992 Landers, California Earthquake · 44 km SSW of this epicentre
  2. 7.1 The 1999 Hector Mine, California Earthquake · 5 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 13km WSW of Ludlow, CA · 13 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 17km WSW of Amboy, CA · 31 km ESE of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 26km NNW of Yucca Valley, CA · 35 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 34.5652, -116.2410. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Bernardino County, CA 33 km (20 mi) N earthquakes near San Bernardino County
Riverside County, CA 95 km (59 mi) SSE earthquakes near Riverside County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 22km NW of Ludlow, CA
  2. 1.6 18km N of Yucca Valley, CA
  3. 1.8 22km NW of Ludlow, CA
  4. 1.8 22km NW of Ludlow, CA
  5. 1.7 7km WSW of Ludlow, CA
  6. 2.0 13km W of Ludlow, CA
  7. 2.3 20km NW of Ludlow, CA
  8. 2.6 22km NW of Ludlow, CA
  9. 1.5 22km N of Yucca Valley, CA
  10. 1.8 22km NW of Ludlow, CA
  11. 1.6 14km WNW of Ludlow, CA
  12. 1.7 23km NW of Ludlow, CA
  13. 1.7 30km WSW of Ludlow, CA
  14. 2.4 22km NW of Ludlow, CA
  15. 2.2 23km NW of Ludlow, 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.