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United States · California

M1.6 Earthquake near Pala Mesa, California (United States)

UTC time: 2026-09-29 19:08:50 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M1.6 earthquake was recorded near Pala Mesa, California (United States) on September 29, 2026 at 19:08 UTC. With a focal depth of about 4 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this small magnitude are usually barely noticeable and cause no damage.

The event was recorded by USGS. United States: 143 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M4.0.

Details

ID
04823e17c39d077693906c8a237dcf430d80513b
Magnitude
M1.6
Depth
3.9 km
UTC time
2026-09-29 19:08:50 UTC
Local time
—
Country
United States
State
California
City
Pala Mesa
County
San Diego County
Source
usgs
Coordinates
33.33583, -117.14716
Temperature
27.9°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 3.9 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 3.9 km
Shallow
3.9 km
3.9 km — shallower than the regional average (15.2 km)
Regional average: 15.2 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Volcanoes nearby

  • Salton Buttes
    Distance: 143 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: -40 m ·Last eruption: 210 ·United States
  • Pinacate
    Distance: 379 km ·Volcanic field ·Elevation: 1'183 m ·Mexico
  • Ubehebe Craters
    Distance: 411 km ·Maar(s) ·Elevation: 752 m ·Last eruption: -150 ·United States
  • San Luis, Isla
    Distance: 455 km ·Tuff cone ·Elevation: 183 m ·Last eruption: -1141 ·Mexico
  • Uinkaret Field
    Distance: 499 km ·Volcanic field ·Elevation: 1'555 m ·Last eruption: 1100 ·United States

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • McClellan-Palomar AirportUnited States · CLD · KCRQ
    26.2 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-29

Nuclear power plants

  • San Onofre nuclear power plantUnited StatesPermanently shut downReactor units at site: 3
    38.0 kmStraight-line distance

Source: Global Energy Monitor · Global Nuclear Power Tracker · Dataset date: 2026-08

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

California

Context for this earthquake

29 Sep 2025 – 29 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 2.0 · 2,438 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · United States

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Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · United States

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View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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