M4.2 earthquake 2km NNW of Delta, B.C., MX

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 2km NNW of Delta, B.C., MX on Thu, Dec 12, 2002, 1:03 PM PST (21:03 UTC), 7 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.0 74km SSW of Alberto Oviedo Mota, B.C., MX. This one was a foreshock.

Map

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

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
4.21	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Preferred · Final · ±0.203 · 61 stations
4.2	Md, duration	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed

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

Felt southeast of Mexicali and in the Mexicali Valley. Also felt at Calexico, El Centro and Holtville, California and at Yuma, Arizona.

From the USGS event page for ci9869697. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 138 in the 60 days after this one and 49 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 138.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci9869697 (also filed as usp000bkk5). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 7:48 PM UTC.