California earthquakes

M3.1 earthquake 14km S of Joshua Tree, CA

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 14km S of Joshua Tree, CA on Fri, Dec 20, 1968, 11:33 AM GMT-8 (19:33 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.3 9km SSW of Idyllwild, CA. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.1 (ml), minor
Local time
UTC
1968-12-20 19:33:41 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
34.007° N, 116.327° 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 1.3 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.15
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
133°
Stations used
13

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 23 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 3.03km SSW of Garnet, CA · 21093 days ago · 6 km deep · 26 km away
  2. 3.39km SSW of Idyllwild, CA · 21086 days ago · 0 km deep · 55 km away
  3. 2.714km ENE of Twentynine Palms, CA · 21077 days ago · 6 km deep · 41 km away
  4. 2.718km NE of Twentynine Palms, CA · 21077 days ago · 6 km deep · 45 km away
  5. 2.621km NE of Twentynine Palms, CA · 21074 days ago · 6 km deep · 48 km away
  6. 3.018km NE of Twentynine Palms, CA · 21073 days ago · 6 km deep · 46 km away
  7. 2.87km NNE of Banning, CA · 21072 days ago · 6 km deep · 47 km away
  8. 3.510km N of Banning, CA · 21071 days ago · 6 km deep · 50 km away
  9. 3.123km ENE of Twentynine Palms, CA · 21069 days ago · 6 km deep · 50 km away
  10. 2.412km ENE of Twentynine Palms, CA · 21064 days ago · 6 km deep · 39 km away
  11. 2.322km NE of Twentynine Palms, CA · 21064 days ago · 6 km deep · 49 km away
  12. 3.011km NE of Aguanga, CA · 21064 days ago · 5 km deep · 70 km away
  13. 2.418km ENE of Twentynine Palms, CA · 21063 days ago · 6 km deep · 45 km away
  14. 4.824km NE of Indio, CA · 21061 days ago · 6 km deep · 29 km away
  15. 2.923km NE of Indio, CA · 21061 days ago · 6 km deep · 30 km away
  16. 2.722km S of Twentynine Palms, CA · 21060 days ago · 6 km deep · 27 km away
  17. 3.524km NE of Indio, CA · 21060 days ago · 6 km deep · 31 km away
  18. 3.024km NE of Indio, CA · 21060 days ago · 6 km deep · 35 km away
  19. 3.024km NE of Indio, CA · 21059 days ago · 6 km deep · 34 km away
  20. 4.139km SE of Twentynine Palms, CA · 21059 days ago · 6 km deep · 52 km away
  21. 3.438km NNE of North Shore, CA · 21059 days ago · 6 km deep · 51 km away
  22. 3.07km NNE of Desert Hot Springs, CA · 21059 days ago · 6 km deep · 13 km away
  23. 3.217km SSE of Joshua Tree, CA · 21048 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away

Before

  1. 2.510km E of Yucaipa, CA · 21097 days ago · 6 km deep · 56 km away
  2. 3.26km ENE of Yucaipa, CA · 21103 days ago · 3 km deep · 61 km away
  3. 2.73km ESE of North Shore, CA · 21118 days ago · 6 km deep · 67 km away
  4. 3.117km ENE of Borrego Springs, CA · 21122 days ago · 6 km deep · 78 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3328107. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:57 AM UTC.