Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.6ml
Earthquake near Barstow, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Barstow in the 24 hours to 8:25 am PST (16:25 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 2.6 earthquake was recorded 29 km (18 mi) east-northeast of Barstow, CA, at 3:44 pm PST on 5 December 2020 (23:44 UTC), 9.2 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 29km ENE of Barstow, CA
- When
- 3:44 pm PST on 5 December 2020 ()
- Where
- 29 km (18 mi) east-northeast of Barstow, CA · earthquakes near Barstow
- Magnitude
- M 2.6 (ml)
- Depth
- 9.2 km below the surface
- Felt
- 1 report · strongest reported intensity II
- Nearest
- San Bernardino County, 50 km ESE
- Nearest mapped fault
- Manix 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 2099 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Barstow, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Barstow, CA. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
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 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 Barstow, 29 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 280 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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 53,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 38,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.3× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.6 about 280 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 4.6 on 2020-01-25 — about 900 times the energy of this one.
Before 2016, the USGS record lists 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 6.5 The 1947 Manix, California Earthquake · 17 km E of this epicentre
- 5.8 13km WSW of Ludlow, CA · 50 km SE of this epicentre
- 5.3 20km ENE of Barstow, California · 10 km W of this epicentre
- 5.1 46 km E of Barstow, California · 23 km SE of this epicentre
- 5.1 25km W of Ludlow, CA · 38 km SE 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 34.9645, -116.7117. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Bernardino County, CA | 50 km (31 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near San Bernardino County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
46 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.7 18km WSW of Ludlow, CA
- 1.8 16km NNE of Barstow, CA
- 1.9 36km WSW of Ludlow, CA
- 1.6 22km NNE of Barstow, CA
- 2.1 39km SSE of Fort Irwin, CA
- 2.6 36km NE of Lucerne Valley, CA
- 2.6 20km S of Fort Irwin, CA
- 1.8 20km NNW of Barstow, CA
- 2.2 12km NNE of Barstow, CA
- 2.1 25km W of Ludlow, CA
- 1.8 13km W of Ludlow, CA
- 1.8 28km E of Barstow, CA
- 2.3 24km W of Ludlow, CA
- 1.8 38km SSE of Fort Irwin, CA
- 1.8 23km 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
- 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.