The March 18, 1997 earthquake
M5.3near Barstow, California
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake 0.4 miles deep, centred in San Bernardino County. The 298th strongest in California’s record since 1900, and the strongest within 50 miles since a magnitude 5.3 on December 3, 1992. 8 aftershocks of magnitude 2.5 or more followed within 30 days.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- local magnitude (ml)
- Depth
- 0.4 mi
- 0.6 km below the surface
- Local time
- Tuesday, March 18, 1997
- 07:24 PST; 15:24 UTC
- In California’s record
- 298th
- strongest of 97,065 since 1900
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, event ci7062511 (“20km ENE of Barstow, California”). The USGS event page carries the ShakeMap, felt reports and the official summary.
Aftershocks
Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 20 miles of the epicentre in the 30 days after.
8
Aftershocks in 30 days
3.9
Largest aftershock, Mar 18, 1997
6
On the first day
1
In the 7 days before
- The search radius is the surface rupture length expected for an earthquake of this magnitude (Wells and Coppersmith, 1994), at least 20 and at most 600 miles, so a great earthquake's sequence is counted along its whole fault.
Counties and cities within 50 miles
Distance from the epicentre to each county boundary (zero when inside) and to each city centre.
Counties
- San Bernardino CountyCA · inside
- Kern CountyCA · 47.2 mi
- Los Angeles CountyCA · 49.2 mi
Cities, largest first
- VictorvilleCA · 43.1 mi
- HesperiaCA · 48.7 mi
- Apple ValleyCA · 37.5 mi
- AdelantoCA · 44.3 mi
- BarstowCA · 14.6 mi
Earthquakes around the epicentre
1,666 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more within 50 miles of this epicentre since 1973.
Earlier earthquakes of magnitude 5 or more within 50 miles, strongest first
- April 10, 1947M6.5
- July 5, 1992M5.4
- June 28, 1992M5.4
- July 1, 1992M5.3
- November 27, 1992M5.3
- May 31, 1975M5.3
- August 28, 1943M5.3
- June 28, 1992M5.3
- December 3, 1992M5.3
- September 25, 1965M5.1
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog. Local time is the time zone of the county nearest the epicentre. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them.