QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9ml

Earthquake near Fontana, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Fontana in the 24 hours to 12:34 pm PST (20:34 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 5 km (3 mi) W, at 6:17 am PDT on 26 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Fontana

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) north of Fontana, CA, at 5:41 pm PST on 18 January 2026 (01:41 UTC), 7.1 km deep. 156 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km NNE of Fontana, CA

5 km (3 mi) NW of Rialto, CA · 92 km (57 mi) E of Los Angeles, CA

5:41 pm PST, Jan 18, 2026 · · 7.1 km deep · released about 650 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Fontana Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 62 kmLos Angeles County 77 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
5:41 pm PST on 18 January 2026 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) north of Fontana, CA · earthquakes near Fontana
Magnitude
M 2.9 (ml)
Depth
7.1 km below the surface
Felt
156 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity III (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Orange County, 62 km SSW
Nearest mapped fault
San Jacinto fault, 2 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 208 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 31 km (19 mi) from the epicentre. In Fontana, 7 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Fontana 7 km, intensity III · Rialto 7 km, intensity III · Muscoy 8 km, intensity III · San Bernardino 14 km, intensity III · Colton 14 km, intensity III · Rancho Cucamonga 16 km, intensity II · Rubidoux 18 km, intensity II · Loma Linda 19 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 650 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 23,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 650 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 4.4 on 2018-08-29 — about 170 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 10 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.2 3 km SE of San Bernardino, California · 17 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 5.6 7km ENE of Running Springs, CA · 37 km ENE of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 The 1990 Upland, California Earthquake · 25 km W of this epicentre
  4. 5.4 5km S of Chino Hills, CA · 39 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 Near San Bernardino, California · 30 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 34.1542, -117.4267. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 62 km (39 mi) SSW earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 77 km (48 mi) W earthquakes near Los Angeles County
San Bernardino County, CA 138 km (86 mi) NE earthquakes near San Bernardino County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 5 km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  2. 1.6 5 km NW of Mira Loma, CA
  3. 1.6 7 km SE of Chino Hills, CA
  4. 1.6 4 km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  5. 1.6 5 km E of Running Springs, CA
  6. 1.7 1 km NNW of Loma Linda, CA
  7. 2.0 6 km ESE of Yorba Linda, CA
  8. 1.9 8 km WSW of Calimesa, CA
  9. 1.9 6 km NW of Lytle Creek, CA
  10. 1.6 7 km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
  11. 1.6 7 km N of Claremont, CA
  12. 1.7 1 km NE of Colton, CA
  13. 1.8 4 km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  14. 1.5 6 km NE of Brea, CA
  15. 1.6 11 km NE of Yucaipa, 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.