QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

Earthquake near Julian, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Julian in the 24 hours to 12:56 pm PST (20:56 UTC). The last one was M 4.9, 151 km (94 mi) ESE, at 10:27 am PST on 3 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 321 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Julian

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 18 km (11 mi) east-southeast of Julian, CA, at 5:35 am PST on 27 December 2022 (13:35 UTC), 7.0 km deep.

USGS: 18km ESE of Julian, CA

70 km (43 mi) ENE of San Diego, CA · 55 km (34 mi) ENE of Santee, CA

5:35 am PST, Dec 27, 2022 · · 7.0 km deep · released about 100 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Diego County 32 kmRiverside County 89 kmImperial County 100 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
5:35 am PST on 27 December 2022 ()
Where
18 km (11 mi) east-southeast of Julian, CA · earthquakes near Julian
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
7.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Diego County, 32 km W
Nearest mapped fault
Elsinore fault, 5 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 1401 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 19 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Julian, 18 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: Julian 18 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 100 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 150,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 110,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 9.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 100 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 5.2 on 2016-06-10 — about 18,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 12 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.6 The 1968 Borrego Mountain, California Earthquake · 35 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 The 1954 San Jacinto Fault, California Earthquake · 45 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 16km WSW of Oasis, CA · 46 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 5.7 Eastern San Diego County, California · 37 km NE of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 8km NNE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 38 km NE 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 33.0150, -116.4287. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Diego County, CA 32 km (20 mi) W earthquakes near San Diego County
Riverside County, CA 89 km (55 mi) NNE earthquakes near Riverside County
Imperial County, CA 100 km (62 mi) E earthquakes near Imperial County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 28km ENE of Pine Valley, CA
  2. 1.7 17km NNW of Borrego Springs, CA
  3. 1.9 25km SE of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  4. 2.0 10km NE of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  5. 2.0 13km NE of Borrego Springs, CA
  6. 1.5 14km E of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  7. 1.5 14km E of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  8. 1.8 11km N of Borrego Springs, CA
  9. 2.2 6km N of Lake Henshaw, CA
  10. 2.0 25km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  11. 2.2 26km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  12. 1.8 19km E of Julian, CA
  13. 1.7 11km SE of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  14. 1.7 10km ESE of Borrego Springs, CA
  15. 1.7 10km ENE of Ocotillo Wells, 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.