QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Pine Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Pine Valley in the 24 hours to 6:38 am PST (14:38 UTC). The last one was M 2.4, 6 km (4 mi) NW, at 2:04 am PST on 4 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 17 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Pine Valley

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 26 km (16 mi) east-northeast of Pine Valley, CA, at 5:36 am PST on 20 February 2020 (13:36 UTC), 11 km deep.

USGS: 26 km ENE of Pine Valley, CA

81 km (50 mi) E of San Diego, CA

5:36 am PST, Feb 20, 2020 · · 11 km deep · released about 9.6 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Pine Valley Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Diego County 48 kmImperial County 87 kmRiverside County 94 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
5:36 am PST on 20 February 2020 ()
Where
26 km (16 mi) east-northeast of Pine Valley, CA · earthquakes near Pine Valley
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Diego County, 48 km WNW
Nearest mapped fault
Elsinore 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 975 days ago

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 4 km (2 mi) from the epicentre. In Pine Valley, 26 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 9.6 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 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 99× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 9.6 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.0 on 2016-07-31 — about 3,500 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. 6.6 The 1942 Fish Creek Mountains, California Earthquake · 46 km E of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 The 1968 Borrego Mountain, California Earthquake · 33 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 6.6 The 1987 Superstition Hills, California Earthquake · 41 km ENE of this epicentre
  4. 6.4 The 1954 San Jacinto Fault, California Earthquake · 46 km NNE of this epicentre
  5. 6.2 The 1987 Elmore Ranch, California Earthquake · 49 km ENE 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 32.9198, -116.2748. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Diego County, CA 48 km (30 mi) WNW earthquakes near San Diego County
Imperial County, CA 87 km (54 mi) E earthquakes near Imperial County
Riverside County, CA 94 km (58 mi) NNE 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. 1.8 21km E of Julian, CA
  2. 1.6 27km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  3. 1.6 17km SW of Oasis, CA
  4. 1.9 20km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  5. 1.9 11km ENE of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  6. 2.4 17km SW of Oasis, CA
  7. 2.0 12km ENE of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  8. 1.9 26km NW of Ocotillo, CA
  9. 1.5 10km WSW of Salton City, CA
  10. 2.1 14km SW of Borrego Springs, CA
  11. 1.9 14km SW of Borrego Springs, CA
  12. 1.7 3km SW of Ocotillo, CA
  13. 1.6 22km NNE of Ocotillo, CA
  14. 1.6 11km ESE of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  15. 2.3 5km SW of Salton 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.