QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.6mw

Earthquake near Barstow, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Barstow in the 24 hours to 5:40 am PST (13:40 UTC). The last one was M 1.8, 3 km (2 mi) NNW, at 3:18 pm PDT on 17 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Barstow

This page: a magnitude 4.6 earthquake was recorded 23 km (14 mi) north-northeast of Barstow, CA, at 7:03 pm PST on 24 January 2020 (03:03 UTC), 3.1 km deep. 2,446 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 23km NNE of Barstow, CA

7:03 pm PST, Jan 24, 2020 · · 3.1 km deep · released about 130 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Barstow Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Bernardino County 77 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
7:03 pm PST on 24 January 2020 ()
Where
23 km (14 mi) north-northeast of Barstow, CA · earthquakes near Barstow
Magnitude
M 4.6 (mw)
Depth
3.1 km below the surface
Felt
2,446 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity VII (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Tsunami
USGS flagged this event for tsunami evaluation. Follow tsunami.gov for official messages.
Nearest
San Bernardino County, 77 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Blackwater 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 759 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 151 km (94 mi) from the epicentre. In Barstow, 23 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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: Barstow 23 km, intensity IV · Barstow Heights 27 km, intensity IV · Fort Irwin 32 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 130 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 1,300× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 59× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 42× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.6 about 130 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 270× more

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 (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. No other earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded this close in that time.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.5 The 1947 Manix, California Earthquake · 42 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 5.3 20km ENE of Barstow, California · 20 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 27km S of Fort Irwin, CA · 25 km ESE 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 35.0975, -116.9697. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Bernardino County, CA 77 km (48 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Bernardino County
Los Angeles County, CA 155 km (96 mi) SW earthquakes near Los Angeles County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 32km E of Barstow, CA
  2. 2.0 17km S of Fort Irwin, CA
  3. 1.7 30 km NW of Lenwood, California
  4. 2.4 31km ENE of Johannesburg, CA
  5. 1.8 39km NNW of Barstow, CA
  6. 1.8 22km NNE of Barstow, CA
  7. 1.5 40km NNW of Barstow, CA
  8. 3.9 40km NNW of Barstow, CA
  9. 1.5 14km S of Fort Irwin, CA
  10. 1.6 14km S of Fort Irwin, CA
  11. 2.3 26km ESE of Boron, CA
  12. 2.4 27km ESE of Boron, CA
  13. 2.8 12km NE of Barstow, CA
  14. 2.1 40km WNW of Ludlow, CA
  15. 2.0 40km WNW 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.