M3.0 earthquake 16km E of Ocotillo, CA

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck 16km E of Ocotillo, CA on Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 12:52 PM PST (20:52 UTC), 11 km (7 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.8 11km WNW of Calipatria, 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
3.01	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Preferred · Final · ±0.128 · 107 stations
2.8	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.091 · 16 stations

1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 196 in the 60 days after this one and 165 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 196.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci39768064 (also filed as us7000d38k). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 1:57 AM UTC.