California earthquakes

M3.4 earthquake 4km W of Brawley, CA

A magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck 4km W of Brawley, CA on Thu, Oct 17, 1940, 2:18 AM GMT-8 (10:18 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.1 9km SSW of Borrego Springs, CA. This one was a foreshock.

Brawley forecastMore in California

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.4 (ml), minor
Local time
UTC
1940-10-17 10:18:11 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
32.977° N, 115.574° W
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 5.0 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.13
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
321°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
5

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.19km SSW of Borrego Springs, CA · 31383 days ago · 6 km deep · 81 km away
  2. 3.38km W of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 31383 days ago · 6 km deep · 63 km away
  3. 3.20km ENE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 31377 days ago · 6 km deep · 55 km away
  4. 2.710km ENE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 31356 days ago · 6 km deep · 48 km away
  5. 3.519km E of Ocotillo, CA · 31353 days ago · 6 km deep · 32 km away
  6. 3.56km N of Imperial, CA · 31350 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away
  7. 3.513km SSW of Salton City, CA · 31350 days ago · 6 km deep · 46 km away
  8. 3.816km WNW of Tecolots, B.C., MX · 31348 days ago · 6 km deep · 57 km away
  9. 3.115km NE of Warner Springs, CA · 31338 days ago · 8 km deep · 98 km away

Before

  1. 3.717km E of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 31387 days ago · 6 km deep · 39 km away
  2. 2.79km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 31388 days ago · 6 km deep · 61 km away
  3. 3.223km NE of Pine Valley, CA · 31390 days ago · 6 km deep · 70 km away
  4. 3.44km NE of Heber, CA · 31393 days ago · 6 km deep · 26 km away
  5. 2.916km S of Salton City, CA · 31396 days ago · 6 km deep · 40 km away
  6. 3.016km S of Salton City, CA · 31396 days ago · 6 km deep · 40 km away
  7. 4.114km S of Salton City, CA · 31397 days ago · 6 km deep · 41 km away
  8. 3.012km SSE of Julian, CA · 31403 days ago · 6 km deep · 91 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3365479. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:34 PM UTC.