QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Fontana, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Fontana in the 24 hours to 6:11 am PST (14:11 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 5 km (3 mi) W, at 6:17 am PDT on 26 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Fontana

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 15 km (9 mi) north of Fontana, CA, at 12:38 pm PST on 15 November 2021 (20:38 UTC), 12 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5km W of Devore, CA

13 km (8 mi) N of Fontana, CA · 91 km (57 mi) ENE of Los Angeles, CA

12:38 pm PST, Nov 15, 2021 · · 12 km deep · released about 49 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 68 kmLos Angeles County 74 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
12:38 pm PST on 15 November 2021 ()
Where
15 km (9 mi) north of Fontana, CA · earthquakes near Fontana
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Orange County, 68 km SSW
Nearest mapped fault
San Jacinto fault, under 1 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 1823 days ago

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 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Fontana, 15 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: Muscoy 13 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 49 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 310,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 220,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 19× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 49 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 4.4 on 2018-08-29 — about 2,300 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 9 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.2 3 km SE of San Bernardino, California · 23 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 The 1991 Sierra Madre, California Earthquake · 50 km W of this epicentre
  3. 5.6 7km ENE of Running Springs, CA · 38 km E of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 The 1990 Upland, California Earthquake · 24 km WSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 5km S of Chino Hills, CA · 42 km SW 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 34.2235, -117.4528. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 68 km (42 mi) SSW earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 74 km (46 mi) W earthquakes near Los Angeles County
San Bernardino County, CA 136 km (85 mi) ENE earthquakes near San Bernardino County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 2km S of Devore, CA
  2. 1.9 2km S of Devore, CA
  3. 2.6 4km NNW of Fontana, CA
  4. 2.0 4km NW of Fontana, CA
  5. 2.4 5km SSW of Redlands, CA
  6. 2.0 4km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  7. 1.9 13km NW of Big Bear Lake, CA
  8. 1.5 4km SSE of Rancho Cucamonga, CA
  9. 1.7 7km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
  10. 1.6 1km W of Yucaipa, CA
  11. 1.7 5km SSE of Lytle Creek, CA
  12. 1.7 3km ENE of Moreno Valley, CA
  13. 1.7 2km NNW of Loma Linda, CA
  14. 1.6 2km ESE of Loma Linda, CA
  15. 2.0 4km SE of Home Gardens, 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.