Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 4.8mw
7km NW of Delta, B.C., MX
Yes. A magnitude 4.8 earthquake was recorded 7km NW of Delta, B.C., MX, 70 km (43 mi) WSW of Yuma, AZ, at 1:56 am PDT on 31 March 2021 (08:56 UTC), 19 km deep. 123 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
70 km (43 mi) WSW of Yuma, AZ
- When
- Magnitude
- M 4.8 (mw)
- Depth
- 19 km below the surface
- Felt
- 123 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Measured shaking
- intensity IV (ShakeMap)
- USGS impact alert
- green
- Nearest
- Imperial County, 73 km N
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1983 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.
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 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 164 km (102 mi) from the epicentre. 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 40 km, intensity III · Holtville 48 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 200 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.8 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 840× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 38× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 27× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 4.8 about 200 tons of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 420× 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 in our catalogue was M 4.8 on 2018-11-19 — about 1.3 times the energy of this one.
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 32.3903, -115.2498. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial County, CA | 73 km (45 mi) | N | earthquakes near Imperial County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
52 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.6 4km NNE of Heber, CA
- 1.6 10km S of Holtville, CA
- 3.5 7km SSE of Estacion Coahuila, B.C., MX
- 1.5 7km W of Holtville, CA
- 1.8 8km W of Progreso, B.C., MX
- 3.4 14km WSW of Delta, B.C., MX
- 1.8 4km SW of Progreso, B.C., MX
- 2.0 10km W of Alberto Oviedo Mota, B.C., MX
- 2.3 4km SW of Progreso, B.C., MX
- 3.1 6km SSE of Guadalupe Victoria, B.C., MX
- 2.0 5km WSW of Progreso, B.C., MX
- 1.9 6km WSW of Progreso, B.C., MX
- 1.6 5km E of Puebla, B.C., MX
- 2.2 6km E of Puebla, B.C., MX
- 1.8 5km ENE of Puebla, 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.