QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2ml

Earthquake near Pine Valley, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Pine Valley in the 24 hours to 7:01 am PST (15:01 UTC). The last one was M 2.4, 6 km (4 mi) NW, at 2:04 am PST on 4 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 17 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Pine Valley

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) west of Pine Valley, CA, at 7:51 am PST on 31 January 2026 (15:51 UTC), 17 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 11 km W of Pine Valley, CA

46 km (28 mi) E of San Diego, CA · 29 km (18 mi) E of El Cajon, CA

7:51 am PST, Jan 31, 2026 · · 17 km deep · released about 58 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Diego County 27 kmRiverside County 119 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
7:51 am PST on 31 January 2026 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) west of Pine Valley, CA · earthquakes near Pine Valley
Magnitude
M 2.2 (ml)
Depth
17 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
San Diego County, 27 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 284 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 6 km (4 mi) from the epicentre. In Pine Valley, 11 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Descanso, Alpine, Harbison Canyon, Crest, Jamul, Granite Hills.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 58 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 260,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 16× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 58 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 5.2 on 2025-04-14 — about 34,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.2 21km NW of Ocotillo, CA · 47 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 16 km NW of Julian, California · 44 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 26km NE of Pine Valley, CA · 36 km ENE 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 32.8050, -116.6470. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Diego County, CA 27 km (17 mi) NNW earthquakes near San Diego County
Riverside County, CA 119 km (74 mi) NNE earthquakes near Riverside County
Orange County, CA 143 km (89 mi) NW earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 12 km SSW of Borrego Springs, CA
  2. 1.7 26 km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  3. 1.7 20 km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  4. 2.2 23 km E of Pine Valley, CA
  5. 1.8 20 km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  6. 1.6 10 km N of Julian, CA
  7. 2.2 25 km ESE of Julian, CA
  8. 1.6 19 km NW of Ocotillo, CA
  9. 2.6 20 km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA
  10. 2.5 3 km WSW of Lake Henshaw, CA
  11. 1.8 18 km ESE of Julian, CA
  12. 2.1 8 km NE of Julian, CA
  13. 2.0 26 km ENE of Pine Valley, CA
  14. 1.6 14 km ENE of Julian, CA
  15. 2.1 13 km ENE of Julian, 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.