California earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 10km NNE of Cabazon, CA

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 10km NNE of Cabazon, CA on Mon, Jun 12, 1944, 3:45 AM GMT-7 (10:45 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.2 12km WSW of Morongo Valley, CA. This one was a foreshock.

Cabazon forecast More in California

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.1 (ML, local (Richter)), moderate
Magnitude from: Southern California Seismic Network
Local time: Mon, Jun 12, 1944, 3:45 AM GMT-7
UTC: 1944-06-12 10:45:34 UTC
Depth: 6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 33.989° N, 116.731° W
Region: California
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
5.06	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Preferred · Final · ±0.146 · 8 stations
5.1	ML, local (Richter)	USGS historic United States catalog	Final

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Maximum observed Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) VI

From the USGS event page for ci3366543. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

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 1.4 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.15
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 211°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used: 8

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 36 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3366543 (also filed as ushis1469, iscgemsup899415). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 6:45 PM UTC.