QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6ml

Earthquake near Yucca Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Yucca Valley in the 24 hours to 8:17 am PST (16:17 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 18 km (11 mi) SE, at 9:51 am PDT on 1 August 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 46 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Yucca Valley

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 30 km (19 mi) north of Yucca Valley, CA, at 5:53 pm PST on 7 January 2020 (01:53 UTC), 8.2 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 30km N of Yucca Valley, CA

100 km (62 mi) ENE of Riverside, CA

5:53 pm PST, Jan 7, 2020 · · 8.2 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Yucca Valley Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Bernardino County 58 kmRiverside County 83 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
5:53 pm PST on 7 January 2020 ()
Where
30 km (19 mi) north of Yucca Valley, CA · earthquakes near Yucca Valley
Magnitude
M 2.6 (ml)
Depth
8.2 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
San Bernardino County, 58 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Homestead Valley fault, 4 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 758 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 22 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Yucca Valley, 30 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 240 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 240 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 370 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 38 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.3 The 1992 Landers, California Earthquake · 20 km S of this epicentre
  2. 7.1 The 1999 Hector Mine, California Earthquake · 30 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 6.3 The 1992 Big Bear, California Earthquake · 40 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 The 1992 Joshua Tree, California Earthquake · 48 km SSE of this epicentre
  5. 6.0 The 1948 Desert Hot Springs, California Earthquake · 46 km SSE 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 34.3818, -116.4490. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Bernardino County, CA 58 km (36 mi) NNE earthquakes near San Bernardino County
Riverside County, CA 83 km (52 mi) SSE earthquakes near Riverside County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 10km SSE of Lucerne Valley, CA
  2. 1.7 36km ENE of Lucerne Valley, CA
  3. 2.4 18km S of Joshua Tree, CA
  4. 1.6 18km S of Joshua Tree, CA
  5. 2.6 18km S of Joshua Tree, CA
  6. 1.9 18km S of Joshua Tree, CA
  7. 2.6 18km S of Joshua Tree, CA
  8. 1.7 14km N of Joshua Tree, CA
  9. 1.8 29km N of Yucca Valley, CA
  10. 1.6 26km N of Yucca Valley, CA
  11. 1.5 22km N of Yucca Valley, CA
  12. 2.1 17km S of Joshua Tree, CA
  13. 1.9 10km N of Big Bear City, CA
  14. 2.0 25 km W of Ludlow, CA
  15. 1.9 10km NE of Big Bear City, 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.