QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Yucca Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Yucca Valley in the 24 hours to 6:59 am PST (14:59 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 18 km (11 mi) SE, at 9:51 am PDT on 1 August 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 46 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Yucca Valley

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) southeast of Yucca Valley, CA, at 6:41 pm PST on 7 March 2023 (02:41 UTC), 6.6 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 10km SE of Yucca Valley, CA

97 km (60 mi) E of Riverside, CA · 25 km (16 mi) NNE of Cathedral City, CA

6:41 pm PST, Mar 7, 2023 · · 6.6 km deep · released about 16 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Yucca Valley Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Riverside County 48 kmSan Bernardino County 92 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
6:41 pm PST on 7 March 2023 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) southeast of Yucca Valley, CA · earthquakes near Yucca Valley
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
6.6 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Riverside County, 48 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
Eureka Peak 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 1345 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Yucca Valley, 10 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: Yucca Valley 10 km, intensity II · Joshua Tree 11 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 16 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 970,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 680,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 61× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 16 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 4.5 on 2018-05-08 — about 10,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 29 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.3 The 1992 Landers, California Earthquake · 19 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.3 The 1992 Big Bear, California Earthquake · 47 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 The 1992 Joshua Tree, California Earthquake · 10 km SSE of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 The 1948 Desert Hot Springs, California Earthquake · 7 km SSE of this epicentre
  5. 6.0 The 1986 North Palm Springs, California Earthquake · 24 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 34.0460, -116.3542. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Riverside County, CA 48 km (30 mi) SE earthquakes near Riverside County
San Bernardino County, CA 92 km (57 mi) N earthquakes near San Bernardino County
San Diego County, CA 120 km (75 mi) SSW earthquakes near San Diego County
Imperial County, CA 145 km (90 mi) SE earthquakes near Imperial 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. 1.9 7km SSW of Morongo Valley, CA
  2. 1.5 7km SSW of Morongo Valley, CA
  3. 1.9 7km SSW of Morongo Valley, CA
  4. 1.5 13km NNE of Banning, CA
  5. 1.5 9km NNE of Cabazon, CA
  6. 2.4 10km WNW of Garnet, CA
  7. 1.5 9km NNE of Banning, CA
  8. 2.3 8km NNE of Banning, CA
  9. 1.8 5km N of Yucca Valley, CA
  10. 2.6 28km NNW of Yucca Valley, CA
  11. 2.2 11km WNW of Garnet, CA
  12. 2.0 4km N of Cabazon, CA
  13. 1.9 12km NNE of Banning, CA
  14. 2.8 8km NE of Cabazon, CA
  15. 1.8 9km NE of Cabazon, 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.