QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.9mw

Earthquake near Barstow, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Barstow in the 24 hours to 8:06 am PST (16:06 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 3.9 earthquake was recorded 22 km (14 mi) north-northeast of Barstow, CA, at 11:34 am PST on 8 February 2020 (19:34 UTC), 2.3 km deep. 360 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 22km NNE of Barstow, CA

11:34 am PST, Feb 8, 2020 · · 2.3 km deep · released about 12 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Barstow Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Bernardino County 76 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
11:34 am PST on 8 February 2020 ()
Where
22 km (14 mi) north-northeast of Barstow, CA · earthquakes near Barstow
Magnitude
M 3.9 (mw)
Depth
2.3 km below the surface
Felt
360 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity VI (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
San Bernardino County, 76 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 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 92 km (57 mi) from the epicentre. In Barstow, 22 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Barstow 22 km, intensity III · Barstow Heights 26 km, intensity III · 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 12 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 14,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 640× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 450× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.9 about 12 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 25× 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 since 2016 was M 4.6 on 2020-01-25 — about 11 times the energy of this one.

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 · 19 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 27km S of Fort Irwin, CA · 24 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 35.0950, -116.9672. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Bernardino County, CA 76 km (47 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

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

  1. 2.7 22km NNE of Barstow, CA
  2. 1.7 30km ENE of Boron, CA
  3. 2.3 30km NNW of Barstow, CA
  4. 2.1 36km ESE of Johannesburg, CA
  5. 2.6 29km ENE of Barstow, CA
  6. 2.0 18km SSE of Fort Irwin, CA
  7. 2.0 10km N of Barstow, CA
  8. 1.5 37km NNW of Fort Irwin, CA
  9. 1.8 17 km WNW of Fort Irwin, California
  10. 1.6 20km ENE of Barstow, CA
  11. 1.6 22km ENE of Barstow, CA
  12. 1.8 6km ENE of Barstow, CA
  13. 1.6 32km E of Barstow, CA
  14. 2.0 17km S of Fort Irwin, CA
  15. 1.7 30 km NW of Lenwood, California

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.