On Monday Afternoon a Shallow M4.9 Earthquake struck near Barstow in The United States.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 29th, 2024. Last updated September 13th, 2024.

Under land 14 miles from Barstow in The United States, a shallow Magnitude 4.9 earthquake occurred in the early afternoon of Monday July 29th, 2024. Around 22 million people have been exposed to shaking. Mexico is also near its epicenter.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 14 miles (22 km) east-northeast of Barstow in California. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 5 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jul 29, 2024 01:00PM (Los Angeles Time) - Jul 29, 2024 20:00 Universal Time.
Location:	14 mi ENE of Barstow, California, The United States. Coordinates 34°57'1"N 116°47'12"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.9 Detected by 28 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.2 .
Depth:	5 mi (7 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 22 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 22 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 3,100 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 11 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
6,730	I	Not noticable	None
10,890,000	II	Very weak	None
11,190,000	III	Weak	Probably none
49,000	IV	Light	Likely none
3,100	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: The United States and Mexico .

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Barstow in California, The United States. Barstow is located 14 miles (22 km) east-northeast of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Barstow is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Los Angeles is located 104 mi to the southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). San Diego is located 156 mi to the south (intensity unknown, possibly low). Tijuana is located 273 km to the south (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
14 mi (22 km) WSW from epicenter	Barstow California, The United States.	IV Light
16 mi (26 km) WSW from epicenter	Barstow Heights California, The United States.	IV Light
39 mi (62 km) SW from epicenter	Apple Valley California, The United States.	III Weak
40 mi (65 km) SW from epicenter	Victorville California, The United States.	III Weak
43 mi (70 km) SW from epicenter	Adelanto California, The United States.	III Weak
47 mi (75 km) SW from epicenter	Hesperia California, The United States.	III Weak
61 mi (98 km) SSE from epicenter	Yucca Valley California, The United States.	III Weak
62 mi (99 km) SSW from epicenter	Highland California, The United States.	III Weak
65 mi (104 km) SSW from epicenter	San Bernardino California, The United States.	III Weak
65 mi (105 km) SSW from epicenter	Yucaipa California, The United States.	III Weak
66 mi (106 km) SSW from epicenter	Redlands California, The United States.	III Weak
67 mi (108 km) SSW from epicenter	Rialto California, The United States.	III Weak
68 mi (109 km) SSW from epicenter	Colton California, The United States.	III Weak
70 mi (112 km) SSW from epicenter	Fontana California, The United States.	III Weak
74 mi (119 km) SW from epicenter	Rancho Cucamonga California, The United States.	III Weak
75 mi (120 km) SSW from epicenter	Moreno Valley California, The United States.	III Weak
76 mi (123 km) SW from epicenter	Upland California, The United States.	II Weak
77 mi (124 km) SSW from epicenter	Riverside California, The United States.	III Weak
78 mi (126 km) SW from epicenter	Ontario California, The United States.	II Weak
78 mi (126 km) WSW from epicenter	Lancaster California, The United States.	III Weak
80 mi (128 km) WSW from epicenter	Palmdale California, The United States.	III Weak
83 mi (133 km) SW from epicenter	Pomona California, The United States.	III Weak
83 mi (133 km) SW from epicenter	Chino California, The United States.	II Weak
84 mi (135 km) S from epicenter	Hemet California, The United States.	III Weak
86 mi (139 km) SSW from epicenter	Corona California, The United States.	III Weak
87 mi (140 km) SSW from epicenter	Menifee California, The United States.	II Weak
89 mi (144 km) SW from epicenter	West Covina California, The United States.	III Weak
93 mi (150 km) SW from epicenter	El Monte California, The United States.	III Weak
95 mi (153 km) SW from epicenter	Pasadena California, The United States.	III Weak
99 mi (159 km) SW from epicenter	Fullerton California, The United States.	III Weak
99 mi (160 km) SSW from epicenter	Murrieta California, The United States.	II Weak
100 mi (161 km) SW from epicenter	Anaheim California, The United States.	II Weak
101 mi (162 km) SW from epicenter	Orange California, The United States.	III Weak
101 mi (162 km) SW from epicenter	Glendale California, The United States.	III Weak
102 mi (164 km) SW from epicenter	East Los Angeles California, The United States.	II Weak
104 mi (167 km) SW from epicenter	Santa Ana California, The United States.	II Weak
104 mi (167 km) SW from epicenter	Los Angeles California, The United States.	III Weak
104 mi (168 km) SW from epicenter	Garden Grove California, The United States.	III Weak
106 mi (170 km) SW from epicenter	Hollywood California, The United States.	III Weak
106 mi (171 km) SW from epicenter	Koreatown California, The United States.	III Weak
106 mi (171 km) SSW from epicenter	Irvine California, The United States.	III Weak
107 mi (172 km) WSW from epicenter	Santa Clarita California, The United States.	II Weak
108 mi (174 km) WSW from epicenter	Van Nuys California, The United States.	II Weak
109 mi (176 km) WSW from epicenter	Valencia California, The United States.	III Weak
113 mi (182 km) SW from epicenter	Huntington Beach California, The United States.	II Weak
114 mi (184 km) SW from epicenter	Long Beach California, The United States.	II Weak
118 mi (190 km) NE from epicenter	Spring Valley Nevada, The United States.	II Weak
122 mi (196 km) NE from epicenter	Paradise Nevada, The United States.	II Weak
126 mi (202 km) NE from epicenter	Las Vegas Nevada, The United States.	II Weak
144 mi (231 km) ESE from epicenter	Lake Havasu City Arizona, The United States.
156 mi (251 km) S from epicenter	San Diego California, The United States.
273 km (170 mi) S from epicenter	Tijuana Baja California, Mexico.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is V.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

3 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 3 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 3 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.5 was detected 0.5 mi (0.8 km) southwest of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 4.9	Jul 29, 2024 01:00PM (Los Angeles Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.5	3 mins later Jul 29, 2024 01:03PM (Los Angeles Time)	0.5 mi (0.8 km) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.7	4 mins later Jul 29, 2024 01:05PM (Los Angeles Time)	0.1 mi (0.2 km) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.7	8 hrs later Jul 29, 2024 09:08PM (Los Angeles Time)	1.5 mi (2.4 km) WSW from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 20th, 2023, when a 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit 141 mi (228 km) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on July 6th, 2019.

In total, 21 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.9 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 6 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.9. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 5 mi (7 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 13/09/24 04:58 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.