QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Niland, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Niland in the 24 hours to 8:13 am PST (16:13 UTC). The last one was M 4.9, 95 km (59 mi) SSE, at 10:27 am PST on 3 November 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 321 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Niland

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) south-southwest of Niland, CA, at 2:22 am PDT on 1 October 2022 (09:22 UTC), 5.1 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4km SSW of Niland, CA

2:22 am PDT, Oct 1, 2022 · · 5.1 km deep · released about 28 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Niland Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Imperial County 25 kmRiverside County 72 kmSan Diego County 117 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
2:22 am PDT on 1 October 2022 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) south-southwest of Niland, CA · earthquakes near Niland
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
5.1 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Imperial County, 25 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
Brawley Seismic Zone, 9 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 1502 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 15 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Niland, 4 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: Calipatria 9 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 28 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 540,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 380,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 34× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 28 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 5.3 on 2021-06-05 — about 80,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 33 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.9 The 1940 Imperial Valley, California Earthquake · 43 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 The 1942 Fish Creek Mountains, California Earthquake · 34 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 6.6 The 1987 Superstition Hills, California Earthquake · 36 km SW of this epicentre
  4. 6.3 The 1906 Imperial Valley, California Earthquake · 34 km S of this epicentre
  5. 6.2 The 1987 Elmore Ranch, California Earthquake · 27 km WSW 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 33.2073, -115.5400. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Imperial County, CA 25 km (16 mi) SE earthquakes near Imperial County
Riverside County, CA 72 km (45 mi) NW earthquakes near Riverside County
San Diego County, CA 117 km (73 mi) W earthquakes near San Diego County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 10km SW of Niland, CA
  2. 2.0 10km SW of Niland, CA
  3. 1.6 11km E of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  4. 2.6 11km E of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  5. 1.7 11km ENE of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  6. 1.5 11km SW of Niland, CA
  7. 1.7 6km NE of Westmorland, CA
  8. 2.0 16km E of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  9. 1.6 14km WNW of Calipatria, CA
  10. 2.0 24km WSW of Westmorland, CA
  11. 3.0 5km NE of Westmorland, CA
  12. 1.7 9km SE of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  13. 1.8 9km SE of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  14. 1.8 4km SSW of Brawley, CA
  15. 1.8 7km SE of Bombay Beach, 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.