The map shows quakes of M1.5 and up from the last 90 days, the 8 biggest on record, and always the very latest quake — even if it was smaller than M1.5. The list below can include smaller ones the map leaves out. Tap any dot for details.
In the last 30 days, 11 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of Imperial Beach, the biggest of them M2.2. Over the past year, M3.0+ quakes near Imperial Beach came at 0.2× the usual pace — quieter than normal for this area. The biggest quake on record near Imperial Beach — records go back to 1980 — was the M5.5 of Jul 13, 1986, 13:47 UTC: The 1986 Oceanside, California Earthquake.
How we figure this: 2 quakes of M3.0 or bigger within 100 km in the last 12 months (Nov 03, 2025 – Nov 03, 2026), compared with an average of 8.1 a year across the full calendar years 2016–2025, counted the same way. This compares how often quakes happened in two past periods. It is not a forecast, and it does not mean a big earthquake is on its way — nobody can predict earthquakes.
Latest earthquakes near Imperial Beach
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M0.8 | 11 km SW of Borrego Springs, CA | Nov 03, 2026, 07:27 AM | 7 km | 91 km NE |
| M0.2 | 23 km S of Borrego Springs, CA | Nov 03, 2026, 03:13 AM | 14 km | 88 km NE |
| M1.4 | 16 km NNE of Pine Valley, CA | Nov 02, 2026, 11:48 PM | 11 km | 73 km NE |
| M2.0 | 25 km ESE of Primo Tapia, B.C., MX | Nov 02, 2026, 09:49 PM | 17 km | 65 km SE |
| M0.9 | 12 km SE of Borrego Springs, CA | Nov 02, 2026, 09:38 PM | 10 km | 100 km NE |
| M1.2 | 6 km NNW of Lakeside, CA | Nov 02, 2026, 01:00 PM | 3 km | 39 km NNE |
| M0.8 | 19 km ESE of Julian, CA | Nov 02, 2026, 12:16 PM | 9 km | 82 km NE |
| M1.1 | 18 km ESE of Julian, CA | Nov 02, 2026, 10:54 AM | 9 km | 82 km NE |
| M0.8 | 18 km ESE of Julian, CA | Nov 02, 2026, 10:39 AM | 9 km | 82 km NE |
| M1.2 | 16 km ESE of Julian, CA | Nov 02, 2026, 03:10 AM | 8 km | 80 km NE |
Earthquakes per year near Imperial Beach (M3.0 and up, within 100 km)
M3.0–3.9 M4.0+
Each bar is one year; taller means more quakes (M3.0 and up). The dark red part is the bigger ones (M4.0+), counted inside the number above each bar — not added on top. These may be felt, depending on how far away and how deep they are. 2026 is not a full year yet — it only counts up to today. Source: USGS Earthquake Catalog.
What the last year looked like near Imperial Beach
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 203 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 8 biggest earthquakes on record near Imperial Beach (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M5.5 | The 1986 Oceanside, California Earthquake | Jul 13, 1986, 13:47 UTC | 83 km |
| M5.2 | 5 km S of Julian, CA | Apr 14, 2025, 17:08 UTC | 70 km |
| M5.0 | 44km SSE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA | Oct 16, 2005, 21:11 UTC | 100 km |
| M5.0 | 67km SE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA | Jun 15, 2004, 22:28 UTC | 80 km |
| M4.8 | 27km SE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), California | Jun 20, 1997, 04:35 UTC | 94 km |
| M4.7 | 28km SW of Coronado, CA | Jun 29, 1983, 08:08 UTC | 29 km |
| M4.5 | 20km W of El Sauzal, B.C., MX | Apr 15, 2022, 04:30 UTC | 76 km |
| M4.5 | 28km SE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), California | Jun 20, 1997, 08:04 UTC | 97 km |
Nearby places
Chula Vista, CA (7 km) · National City, CA (11 km) · Bonita, CA (11 km) · San Diego, CA (15 km) · El Cajon, CA (27 km) · Mira Mesa, CA (37 km)
USGS data fetched Nov 03, 2026, 21:45 UTC · page built Nov 03, 2026, 21:45 UTC. How to read this page: recent-window counts cover M1.5+ events within 100 km; the 10-year layer is based on M3.0+ and the history layer on M4.0+ since 1980. Recording completeness varies by era and region — small quakes from early decades are under-recorded, so “no record” does not prove “never happened”. Depths are relative to sea level and can be slightly negative for shallow events in elevated terrain. Method: data & methodology.