QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Big Bear City, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Big Bear City in the 24 hours to 12:55 pm PST (20:55 UTC). The last one was M 1.5, 10 km (6 mi) ESE, at 12:11 pm PST on 3 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Big Bear City

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) north-northwest of Big Bear City, CA, at 2:46 am PST on 17 January 2025 (10:46 UTC), 1.1 km deep.

USGS: 10 km NNW of Big Bear City, CA

36 km (22 mi) NE of Highland, CA · 145 km (90 mi) ENE of Los Angeles, CA

2:46 am PST, Jan 17, 2025 · · 1.1 km deep · released about 23 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Big Bear City Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Bernardino County 86 kmRiverside County 106 kmOrange County 111 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
2:46 am PST on 17 January 2025 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) north-northwest of Big Bear City, CA · earthquakes near Big Bear City
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
1.1 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Bernardino County, 86 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
North Frontal thrust system, 4 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 664 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 Big Bear City, 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: Big Bear City 10 km, intensity II · Big Bear Lake 11 km, intensity II · Lucerne Valley 13 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 23 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 5.8 660,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 470,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 42× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 23 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 7,200 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 23 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.3 The 1992 Landers, California Earthquake · 44 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 6.3 The 1992 Big Bear, California Earthquake · 17 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 6.2 3 km SE of San Bernardino, California · 44 km SW of this epicentre
  4. 6.0 The 1986 North Palm Springs, California Earthquake · 46 km SE of this epicentre
  5. 5.6 7km ENE of Running Springs, CA · 18 km SW 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 34.3427, -116.8883. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Bernardino County, CA 86 km (54 mi) NE earthquakes near San Bernardino County
Riverside County, CA 106 km (66 mi) SE earthquakes near Riverside County
Orange County, CA 111 km (69 mi) SW earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 0 km NNE of Colton, CA
  2. 2.4 3 km SE of Loma Linda, CA
  3. 2.7 3 km SE of Loma Linda, CA
  4. 1.7 5 km SSW of Redlands, CA
  5. 1.5 5 km SW of Redlands, CA
  6. 1.8 5 km E of Cabazon, CA
  7. 2.1 6 km ENE of Cabazon, CA
  8. 1.9 6 km NNE of Beaumont, CA
  9. 1.6 6 km E of Cabazon, CA
  10. 1.8 2 km N of Colton, CA
  11. 1.8 7 km NNW of Banning, CA
  12. 1.9 0 km SW of Loma Linda, CA
  13. 3.3 18 km N of Cabazon, CA
  14. 1.6 5 km NNW of Big Bear Lake, CA
  15. 1.6 8 km NNE of Banning, 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.