QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Fontana, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Fontana in the 24 hours to 5:53 am PST (13:53 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 1.6 earthquake was recorded 9 km (5 mi) north of Fontana, CA, at 11:43 am PST on 11 December 2022 (19:43 UTC), 10 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7km SSW of Devore, CA

7 km (4 mi) NNE of Fontana, CA · 91 km (57 mi) E of Los Angeles, CA

11:43 am PST, Dec 11, 2022 · · 10 km deep · released about 8.1 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 63 kmLos Angeles 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
11:43 am PST on 11 December 2022 ()
Where
9 km (5 mi) north of Fontana, CA · earthquakes near Fontana
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Orange County, 63 km SSW
Nearest mapped fault
San Jacinto fault, 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 1426 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 5 km (3 mi) from the epicentre. In Fontana, 9 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Muscoy, Rialto, Bloomington, San Bernardino, Colton, Crestline.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.1 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 120× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.1 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 14,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 10 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.2 3 km SE of San Bernardino, California · 19 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 5.6 7km ENE of Running Springs, CA · 37 km ENE of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 The 1990 Upland, California Earthquake · 24 km W of this epicentre
  4. 5.4 5km S of Chino Hills, CA · 39 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 Near San Bernardino, California · 31 km E 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 34.1695, -117.4353. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 63 km (39 mi) SSW earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 76 km (47 mi) W earthquakes near Los Angeles County
San Bernardino County, CA 138 km (86 mi) NE earthquakes near San Bernardino 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. 1.7 12km NE of Running Springs, CA
  2. 1.6 6km ENE of Moreno Valley, CA
  3. 1.6 10km W of Big Bear Lake, CA
  4. 1.6 3km NNW of Fontana, CA
  5. 1.8 13km NE of Running Springs, CA
  6. 1.8 7km N of Yorba Linda, CA
  7. 1.6 4km NNW of Fontana, CA
  8. 1.5 14km N of Bradbury, CA
  9. 1.6 1km E of Loma Linda, CA
  10. 1.7 7km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
  11. 1.6 3km NNW of Fontana, CA
  12. 1.8 5km SW of Devore, CA
  13. 2.8 2km SW of Redlands, CA
  14. 2.1 2km SW of Redlands, 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.