A magnitude 3.6 quake struck about 6 miles north-northeast of Cabazon just before 9 a.m.
A magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck north of Cabazon on Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed, with shaking reported at least as far east as Palm Springs. The quake hit at 8:44 a.m., with its epicenter located approximately 6 miles north-northeast of Cabazon at a depth of around 8 miles.
No immediate reports of damage or injuries emerged in the hours following the tremor. Residents across the Coachella Valley who felt the shaking were encouraged to submit reports through the USGS Felt Report form, which helps scientists better understand how widely a quake was experienced and how strongly it registered at various distances from the epicenter.
What causes earthquakes in Southern California
California sits atop one of the most seismically active landscapes in the world, a product of the geological forces constantly reshaping the region beneath the surface. The Earth’s outer layer, known as the lithosphere, is divided into large segments called tectonic plates that move slowly and continuously. When two of these plates slide past, push against, or pull away from one another, stress accumulates along their edges.
That stress eventually becomes too great to hold. When it releases, it sends seismic energy outward in waves that travel through the ground and produce the shaking people feel on the surface. The location where that energy releases is called the fault, and Southern California is crisscrossed by dozens of them.
Predicting the next big one remains impossible
Scientists at the USGS are able to calculate the probability that a significant earthquake will occur in a given region over a certain stretch of time, but they cannot predict when or where the next quake will strike with any precision. Those probability estimates are comparable to long-range weather forecasts rather than specific predictions.
What the data does show is that California faces significant seismic risk on an ongoing basis. Portions of the state have a greater than 95% chance of experiencing damaging earthquake shaking within any given 100-year window. The most recent major earthquake in California, defined as magnitude 6.5 or greater or an event that caused loss of life or more than $200,000 in damage, was a 6.4-magnitude quake that struck off the coast near Ferndale in December 2022. That event indirectly caused two deaths and damaged homes and infrastructure in Humboldt County.
How to protect yourself when the ground starts moving
Earthquake preparedness officials offer consistent guidance for what to do in the moments a tremor begins. The core instruction is to drop, cover, and hold on. Getting down to hands and knees reduces the risk of being knocked over. Finding cover under a sturdy table or against an interior wall away from windows protects against falling debris. Holding on and staying in place until shaking stops is safer than attempting to run outside, where falling objects pose a serious risk.
For people who are indoors, staying put is the priority. Running outdoors during active shaking is one of the most dangerous things a person can do. Those in vehicles should pull over safely, set the parking brake, and remain inside until shaking stops. People in bed should turn face-down and use a pillow to protect the head and neck.
After the shaking ends, hazards do not disappear immediately. Damaged structures, gas leaks, downed power lines, and the possibility of aftershocks all require continued caution in the minutes and hours that follow a quake. Aftershocks can occur without warning and sometimes approach the intensity of the original event.
Southern California’s broader seismic history
Today’s tremor is a minor addition to a long record of seismic activity in the region. California’s largest recorded earthquake since 1800 was a magnitude 7.9 event near Fort Tejon in January 1857, which left a surface rupture stretching roughly 220 miles. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake, magnitude 7.8, killed an estimated 3,000 people and displaced 225,000 more. More recently, a magnitude 7.1 quake near Ludlow in October 1999 caused minimal damage largely because of its remote location.
Today’s magnitude 3.6 falls well below any threshold for structural concern, but it serves as a regular reminder of the geological activity that defines life in Southern California.