QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Rancho Cucamonga, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Rancho Cucamonga in the 24 hours to 3:34 am PST (11:34 UTC). The last one was M 2.0, 10 km (6 mi) E, at 2:35 am PDT on 23 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Rancho Cucamonga

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 9 km (5 mi) northeast of Rancho Cucamonga, CA, at 7:54 pm PST on 25 December 2019 (03:54 UTC), 13 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7km NE of Rancho Cucamonga, CA

5 km (3 mi) NE of Rancho Cucamonga, CA · 83 km (52 mi) E of Los Angeles, CA

7:54 pm PST, Dec 25, 2019 · · 13 km deep · released about 12 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 59 kmLos Angeles County 68 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
7:54 pm PST on 25 December 2019 ()
Where
9 km (5 mi) northeast of Rancho Cucamonga, CA · earthquakes near Rancho Cucamonga
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Orange County, 59 km SSW
Nearest mapped fault
Sierra Madre fault, 1 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 2513 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 Rancho Cucamonga, 9 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: Fontana, San Antonio Heights, Upland, Rialto, Bloomington, Ontario.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 12 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 900,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 80× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 12 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 4.4 on 2018-08-29 — about 9,400 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 8 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.2 3 km SE of San Bernardino, California · 25 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 The 1991 Sierra Madre, California Earthquake · 45 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.6 7km ENE of Running Springs, CA · 45 km ENE of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 The 1990 Upland, California Earthquake · 16 km W of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 5km S of Chino Hills, CA · 32 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 34.1585, -117.5207. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 59 km (36 mi) SSW earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 68 km (42 mi) W earthquakes near Los Angeles County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 3km NNW of Walnut, CA
  2. 1.7 5km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
  3. 2.0 2km SSW of San Bernardino, CA
  4. 1.6 8km WNW of Lytle Creek, CA
  5. 1.6 2km ESE of Loma Linda, CA
  6. 1.6 7km NW of Glen Avon, CA
  7. 1.5 5km SE of Lytle Creek, CA
  8. 1.8 6km E of Ontario, CA
  9. 1.7 2km ENE of Villa Park, CA
  10. 1.6 7km S of Redlands, CA
  11. 1.8 4km ENE of Lake Arrowhead, CA
  12. 2.0 4km SSE of Yorba Linda, CA
  13. 2.2 8 km E of Yorba Linda, CA
  14. 1.6 4 km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  15. 1.5 11km ENE of North Tustin, 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.