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, 64 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of Joshua Tree, the biggest of them M2.8. Over the past year, M3.0+ quakes near Joshua Tree came at 1.5× the usual pace — busier than normal for this area. The biggest quake on record near Joshua Tree — records go back to 1980 — was the M7.3 of Jun 28, 1992, 11:57 UTC: The 1992 Landers, California Earthquake.
How we figure this: 38 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 25.2 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.
Does a busier spell mean a bigger earthquake is coming?
Short answer: nobody can tell — and a busier spell by itself is not a warning sign. Bunches of small quakes are common around Joshua Tree, and most settle down on their own. Small quakes also do not “let off steam” that would prevent a big one: a single M7 releases roughly as much energy as 32,000 M4 quakes added together. Earthquakes cannot be predicted. What can be measured is the long-term pattern — the biggest quakes on record near Joshua Tree are listed further down this page.
Latest earthquakes near Joshua Tree
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1.8 | 12 km NE of Cabazon, CA | Nov 03, 2026, 11:07 AM | 14 km | 40 km WSW |
| M0.0 | 3 km WSW of Anza, CA | Nov 03, 2026, 07:27 AM | 7 km | 75 km SSW |
| M0.5 | 4 km NNW of Anza, CA | Nov 03, 2026, 07:22 AM | 14 km | 70 km SSW |
| M0.7 | 19 km ESE of Anza, CA | Nov 03, 2026, 06:50 AM | 12 km | 73 km SSW |
| M0.0 | 4 km WSW of Anza, CA | Nov 03, 2026, 06:12 AM | 6 km | 76 km SSW |
| M0.4 | 21 km SW of La Quinta, CA | Nov 03, 2026, 05:29 AM | 6 km | 70 km S |
| M0.1 | 4 km SW of Anza, CA | Nov 03, 2026, 05:13 AM | 6 km | 76 km SSW |
| M0.2 | 21 km SW of La Quinta, CA | Nov 03, 2026, 03:03 AM | 11 km | 70 km S |
| M0.6 | 21 km ESE of Anza, CA | Nov 03, 2026, 03:02 AM | 6 km | 71 km S |
| M0.5 | 16 km N of Borrego Springs, CA | Nov 03, 2026, 12:49 AM | 15 km | 83 km S |
Earthquakes per year near Joshua Tree (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 Joshua Tree
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 833 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 8 biggest earthquakes on record near Joshua Tree (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M7.3 | The 1992 Landers, California Earthquake | Jun 28, 1992, 11:57 UTC | 14 km |
| M7.1 | The 1999 Hector Mine, California Earthquake | Oct 16, 1999, 09:46 UTC | 52 km |
| M6.3 | The 1992 Big Bear, California Earthquake | Jun 28, 1992, 15:05 UTC | 48 km |
| M6.1 | The 1992 Joshua Tree, California Earthquake | Apr 23, 1992, 04:50 UTC | 19 km |
| M6.0 | The 1986 North Palm Springs, California Earthquake | Jul 08, 1986, 09:20 UTC | 31 km |
| M5.8 | 13km WSW of Ludlow, CA | Oct 16, 1999, 09:59 UTC | 60 km |
| M5.8 | 3km NE of Yucca Valley, California | Jun 28, 1992, 12:00 UTC | 9 km |
| M5.7 | 2km SSW of Joshua Tree, California | Jun 28, 1992, 12:01 UTC | 2 km |
Nearby places
Yucca Valley, CA (11 km) · Twentynine Palms, CA (24 km) · Desert Hot Springs, CA (26 km) · Indio, CA (47 km) · Cathedral City, CA (42 km) · Palm Desert, CA (46 km)
USGS data fetched Nov 03, 2026, 19:45 UTC · page built Nov 03, 2026, 19:45 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.