Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.7ml
Earthquake near Calexico, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Calexico in the 24 hours to 6:49 am PST (14:49 UTC). The last one was M 4.9, 41 km (25 mi) SE, at 10:27 am PST on 3 November 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 321 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Calexico
This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) west-southwest of Calexico, CA, at 8:42 am PST on 9 December 2019 (16:42 UTC), 5.8 km deep.
USGS: 8km WSW of Calexico, CA
- When
- 8:42 am PST on 9 December 2019 ()
- Where
- 8 km (5 mi) west-southwest of Calexico, CA · earthquakes near Calexico
- Magnitude
- M 1.7 (ml)
- Depth
- 5.8 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Imperial County, 47 km NNE
- Nearest mapped fault
- Imperial fault, 18 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 2527 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Calexico, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Calexico, CA. No account or email needed.
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Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Calexico, 8 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.
Likely felt in: Calexico 8 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 11 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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,300,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 930,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 83× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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 2,900 times the energy of this one.
Before 2016, the USGS record lists 44 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 7.2 The 2010 Sierra El Mayor, B.C., Mexico Earthquake · 50 km SSE of this epicentre
- 6.9 The 1940 Imperial Valley, California Earthquake · 27 km NE of this epicentre
- 6.6 The 1942 Fish Creek Mountains, California Earthquake · 39 km NNW of this epicentre
- 6.6 The 1987 Superstition Hills, California Earthquake · 46 km NNW of this epicentre
- 6.4 The 1979 Imperial Valley Earthquake, California-Baja California · 21 km E 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 32.6650, -115.5802. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial County, CA | 47 km (29 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Imperial County |
| San Diego County, CA | 119 km (74 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near San Diego County |
| Riverside County, CA | 125 km (78 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Riverside 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.
- 2.5 16km NNW of Ocotillo, CA
- 2.7 15km WSW of Delta, B.C., MX
- 1.8 13km W of Delta, B.C., MX
- 2.2 16km SW of Delta, B.C., MX
- 1.6 6km SW of Holtville, CA
- 2.1 14km W of Imperial, CA
- 1.6 5km NE of Westmorland, CA
- 1.7 23km NNE of Ocotillo, CA
- 1.5 1km S of Brawley, CA
- 1.8 6km N of Progreso, B.C., MX
- 1.6 26km WSW of Westmorland, CA
- 2.2 6km NW of Delta, B.C., MX
- 1.7 18km ESE of Ocotillo, CA
- 1.9 14km W of Progreso, B.C., MX
- 3.0 6km NW of Delta, B.C., MX
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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.