Magnitude 4.3 earthquake strikes near El Centro, Imperial County, California, USA

An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 occurred early morning on Thursday, January 15th, 2026, at 1:54 am local time near El Centro, Imperial County, California, USA, as reported by the United States Geological Survey.
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a very shallow depth of 5.6 miles. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) which listed the quake at magnitude 4.3 as well.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.
In Holtville (pop. 6,400) located 3 miles from the epicenter, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Imperial (pop. 17,100) located 10 miles from the epicenter, El Centro (pop. 44,000) 11 miles away, Brawley (pop. 25,900) 12 miles away, Calexico (pop. 40,100) 14 miles away, Mexicali (pop. 1,032,700) 17 miles away, and Santa Isabel (pop. 29,300) 19 miles away.
Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include San Luis (pop. 31,500) located 44 miles from the epicenter, and Yuma (pop. 95,500) 45 miles away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.


Earthquake data:
Date & time: Jan 15, 2026 01:54 am (Los Angeles time) local time (15 Jan 2026 09:54 GMT)
Magnitude: 4.3
Depth: 9.00 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 32.86°N / 115.39°W (Imperial County, California, United States)
Primary data source: USGS
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquake/news/291983/Magnitude-43-earthquake-strikes-near-El-Centro-Imperial-County-California-USA.html