QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7ml

Earthquake near Big Bear Lake, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Big Bear Lake in the 24 hours to 8:18 pm PST (04:18 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 7 km (4 mi) NE, at 1:40 am PDT on 6 October 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 18 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Big Bear Lake

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) west-northwest of Big Bear Lake, CA, at 10:14 pm PST on 19 December 2023 (06:14 UTC), 8.0 km deep. 15 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 12 km WNW of Big Bear Lake, CA

24 km (15 mi) NNE of Highland, CA · 131 km (81 mi) ENE of Los Angeles, CA

10:14 pm PST, Dec 19, 2023 · · 8.0 km deep · released about 390 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Big Bear Lake Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 98 kmSan Bernardino County 99 kmRiverside County 113 kmLos Angeles County 114 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
10:14 pm PST on 19 December 2023 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) west-northwest of Big Bear Lake, CA · earthquakes near Big Bear Lake
Magnitude
M 2.7 (ml)
Depth
8.0 km below the surface
Felt
15 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Orange County, 98 km SW
Nearest mapped fault
North Frontal thrust system, 14 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 989 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 24 km (15 mi) from the epicentre. In Big Bear Lake, 12 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: Big Bear Lake 12 km, intensity II · Lake Arrowhead 16 km, intensity II · Big Bear City 17 km, intensity II · Lucerne Valley 17 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 390 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 39,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 28,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 390 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 420 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 17 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.3 The 1992 Big Bear, California Earthquake · 21 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 6.2 3 km SE of San Bernardino, California · 31 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 5.6 7km ENE of Running Springs, CA · 6 km SSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 11km SSE of Big Bear Lake, California · 22 km SE of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 26km NNW of Yucca Valley, CA · 48 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 34.2960, -117.0262. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 98 km (61 mi) SW earthquakes near Orange County
San Bernardino County, CA 99 km (62 mi) NE earthquakes near San Bernardino County
Riverside County, CA 113 km (70 mi) ESE earthquakes near Riverside County
Los Angeles County, CA 114 km (71 mi) W earthquakes near Los Angeles County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 11 km NNW of Banning, CA
  2. 1.8 7 km NNE of Banning, CA
  3. 1.5 6 km S of Lytle Creek, CA
  4. 2.0 6 km ENE of Running Springs, CA
  5. 1.6 4 km SSE of Redlands, CA
  6. 1.6 4 km SE of Redlands, CA
  7. 1.9 3 km ESE of Lytle Creek, CA
  8. 2.1 8 km ESE of Yucaipa, CA
  9. 1.5 6 km E of Calimesa, CA
  10. 1.6 6 km NNE of Beaumont, CA
  11. 1.7 1 km N of Beaumont, CA
  12. 1.6 4 km NE of Beaumont, CA
  13. 1.9 12 km N of Cabazon, CA
  14. 1.5 6 km NNE of Beaumont, CA
  15. 1.6 2 km E of Loma Linda, 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.