M3.1 earthquake 10km SW of Niland, CA

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 10km SW of Niland, CA on Sat, May 17, 2003, 4:27 AM PDT (11:27 UTC), 3 km (2 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.2 4km SSW of Brawley, CA. 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
3.11	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Preferred · Final · ±0.166 · 152 stations
3.1	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed

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

Felt at Calipatria.

From the USGS event page for ci9916341. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: at least 200 in the 60 days after this one and 113 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of at least 200.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci9916341 (also filed as usp000bxd7). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 6:38 AM UTC.