QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Ontario, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Ontario in the 24 hours to 8:56 am PST (16:56 UTC). The last one was M 1.7, 8 km (5 mi) SE, at 2:48 pm PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ontario

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) east-southeast of Ontario, CA, at 4:35 pm PST on 4 January 2025 (00:35 UTC), 6.5 km deep.

USGS: 4 km ESE of Ontario, CA

in Ontario, CA · 76 km (47 mi) E of Los Angeles, CA

4:35 pm PST, Jan 4, 2025 · · 6.5 km deep · released about 21 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 44 kmLos Angeles County 65 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
4:35 pm PST on 4 January 2025 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) east-southeast of Ontario, CA · earthquakes near Ontario
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
6.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Orange County, 44 km SSW
Nearest mapped fault
Red Hill-Etiwanda Avenue fault, 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 676 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 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Ontario, 7 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: Ontario 7 km, intensity II · Rancho Cucamonga 8 km, intensity II · Eastvale 8 km, intensity II · Upland 9 km, intensity II · Chino 10 km, intensity II · Montclair 11 km, intensity II · Norco 12 km, intensity II · Pedley 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 21 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 710,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 500,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 45× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 21 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 2020-09-19 — about 9,100 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 14 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.2 3 km SE of San Bernardino, California · 31 km E of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 The 1910 Lake Elsinore, California Earthquake · 41 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 45 km W of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 The 1991 Sierra Madre, California Earthquake · 46 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 The 1990 Upland, California Earthquake · 16 km NW 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 34.0358, -117.5865. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 44 km (27 mi) SSW earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 65 km (40 mi) WNW earthquakes near Los Angeles County
San Diego County, CA 135 km (84 mi) SE earthquakes near San Diego County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 6 km N of Moreno Valley, CA
  2. 1.8 3 km NNE of Home Gardens, CA
  3. 1.9 0 km SW of Loma Linda, CA
  4. 1.7 6 km SSE of Lytle Creek, CA
  5. 1.5 6 km WNW of Fontana, CA
  6. 1.8 4 km WNW of Laguna Woods, CA
  7. 2.1 5 km ENE of San Joaquin Hills, CA
  8. 1.8 5 km ENE of San Joaquin Hills, CA
  9. 2.0 6 km SE of Ontario, CA
  10. 1.6 4 km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  11. 2.6 5 km NNE of San Bernardino, CA
  12. 1.7 5 km NNE of San Bernardino, CA
  13. 2.7 5 km NNE of San Bernardino, CA
  14. 1.5 7 km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
  15. 1.7 1 km SSE of Montclair, 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.