QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Imperial Beach, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Imperial Beach in the 24 hours to 4:26 am PST (12:26 UTC). The last one was M 4.7, 151 km (94 mi) ENE, at 12:10 am PDT on 10 May 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 203 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Imperial Beach

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 17 km (11 mi) west of Imperial Beach, CA, at 10:39 pm PDT on 10 September 2025 (05:39 UTC), 14 km deep.

USGS: 17 km W of Imperial Beach, CA

32 km (20 mi) SSW of San Diego, CA · 22 km (14 mi) WSW of National City, CA

10:39 pm PDT, Sep 10, 2025 · · 14 km deep · released about 47 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Imperial Beach Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Diego County 71 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
10:39 pm PDT on 10 September 2025 ()
Where
17 km (11 mi) west of Imperial Beach, CA · earthquakes near Imperial Beach
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Diego County, 71 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Newport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon fault, 11 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 427 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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Imperial Beach, 17 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: Coronado, San Diego, Chula Vista, National City, Bonita.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 47 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 320,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 230,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 20× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 47 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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 32.5577, -117.2908. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Diego County, CA 71 km (44 mi) NE earthquakes near San Diego County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.3 6 km ESE of Bonita, CA
  2. 1.4 4 km E of San Diego, CA
  3. 1.7 21 km WNW of La Jolla, CA
  4. 1.4 5 km NE of Rancho San Diego, CA
  5. 0.9 9 km SSE of Jamul, CA
  6. 0.9 7 km NNW of La Mesa, CA
  7. 1.3 6 km ESE of Bonita, CA
  8. 1.6 5 km NE of Rancho San Diego, CA
  9. 0.7 2 km NE of Imperial Beach, CA
  10. 1.3 5 km NE of Rancho San Diego, CA
  11. 1.3 2 km NE of Imperial Beach, CA
  12. 1.1 6 km ESE of Chula Vista, CA
  13. 0.8 8 km ESE of Bonita, CA
  14. 1.6 32 km WSW of La Jolla, CA
  15. 1.9 5 km SE of La Jolla, 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.