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II

Max Est. MMI

M3.6 earthquake · shaking intensity by town 15 km WSW of Johannesburg, CA

Magnitude3.6
Depth4.6 km
Time 2026-01-18T14:54:12.100000Z UTC: 2026-01-18T14:54:12.100000Z
USGS ID ci41161199
ShakeMap View USGS ↗

Engineering Ground Motion Parameters

GMPE predictions provide an independent check on the ShakeMap interpolated intensities above. ShakeMap relies on seismic station recordings; in areas with sparse station coverage — or for large teleseismic events and earthquakes outside dense West Coast networks — ShakeMap MMI can be inaccurate. A significant difference between ShakeMap and GMPE estimates is a signal that the ShakeMap result should be treated as preliminary. Also includes site Vs30 values and raw ground motion parameters (PGA/PGV).

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Est. Vs30 Values

Estimated shear-wave velocity in the upper 30 m used in GMPE calculations. Ref. column shows the 760 m/s rock-site reference for comparison.

Location Ref. (760 m/s) Est. Vs30 (m/s)
California City
CA
760 294
Ridgecrest
CA
760 294
China Lake Acres
CA
760 294

MMI vs Distance — Default Vs30 (760 m/s)

All methods using the 760 m/s rock-site reference. ShakeMap values are independent of Vs30.

MMI vs distance — default Vs30

MMI vs Distance — Est. Vs30

GMPEs use the Est. Vs30 values shown in the table above. ShakeMap values are independent of Vs30.

MMI vs distance — Est. Vs30

GMPE Residual — Observed − Predicted MMI

Signed residual at each seismic station. Positive values mean the GMPE underestimated shaking; negative values mean it overestimated. The dashed line at zero indicates perfect agreement.

GMPE residual plot

GMPE Predicted vs. Observed MMI at Seismic Stations

Each point is one seismic station. Points on the dashed 1:1 line indicate perfect agreement; above the line = GMPE underestimated shaking; below = overestimated.

GMPE predicted vs observed scatter

GMPE Performance — Station Observations

Statistics computed by comparing each GMPE's predicted MMI against ShakeMap observed MMI at seismic stations. Bias = mean(observed − predicted). Lower RMSE indicates better overall agreement with instrumental measurements.

GMPE Bias Sigma RMSE
ASK14 +0.02 0.19 0.19
BSSA14 +0.02 0.18 0.18
CY14 +0.02 0.18 0.18
CB14 +0.02 0.18 0.18
Bias > 0: GMPE underestimated shaking at stations. Bias < 0: GMPE overestimated shaking.

Peak Ground Motion — Seismic Station Observations

Recorded PGA and PGV at seismic stations, sorted by highest PGA. Top 25 stations shown. MMI (PGA) and MMI (PGV) are independent conversions via Worden et al. (2012) GMICE.

Station PGA (g) MMI (PGA) PGV (cm/s) MMI (PGV)
Laurel Mtn (CI.LRL) 0.0215 Weak(III) 0.446 Weak(III)
Desert Tortoise Park (CI.DTP) 0.0036 Weak(II) 0.105 Weak(II)
Fish Rocks (CI.FSR) 0.0032 Weak(II) 0.066 Weak(II)
Kern River P P #3 (CI.KRV3) 0.0029 Weak(II) 0.049 Not felt(I)
Rodman Mountain (CI.RMM) 0.0020 Weak(II) — —
Mira Loma (CI.MLS) 0.0018 Weak(II) 0.022 Not felt(I)
Hanning Flat (CI.WHF) 0.0016 Weak(II) 0.050 Not felt(I)
Onyx Ranch (CI.WOR) 0.0014 Weak(II) 0.020 Not felt(I)
California City Airport (CI.CCA) 0.0012 Not felt(I) 0.047 Not felt(I)
Cache Creek (CI.CCK) 0.0011 Not felt(I) 0.030 Not felt(I)
Bird Springs (CI.WBS) 0.0011 Not felt(I) 0.038 Not felt(I)
Searles Valley (CI.SEV) 0.0010 Not felt(I) 0.019 Not felt(I)
Oxnard (CE.25325) 0.0010 Not felt(I) 0.011 Not felt(I)
Ventura (CE.25340) 0.0009 Not felt(I) 0.017 Not felt(I)
Alta Sierra 2 (CI.WAS2) 0.0009 Not felt(I) 0.022 Not felt(I)
Edwards 2 (CI.EDW2) 0.0009 Not felt(I) 0.010 Not felt(I)
Haiwee, Pumping Plant (NP.1809) 0.0008 Not felt(I) 0.018 Not felt(I)
Gold Creek Center (CI.GCC) 0.0008 Not felt(I) 0.018 Not felt(I)
Christmas Canyon China Lake (CI.CCC) 0.0008 Not felt(I) 0.027 Not felt(I)
Bear Peak (CI.WBP) 0.0007 Not felt(I) 0.012 Not felt(I)
Burnt Peak (CI.BTP) 0.0007 Not felt(I) 0.027 Not felt(I)
Shuttle (CI.SHU) 0.0007 Not felt(I) 0.013 Not felt(I)
Neenach (CI.NEN) 0.0007 Not felt(I) 0.024 Not felt(I)
Leuhmann Ridge Extension (CI.LMR2) 0.0006 Not felt(I) 0.012 Not felt(I)
Lucerne Valley 2 (CI.LUC2) 0.0006 Not felt(I) 0.020 Not felt(I)
Source: USGS ShakeMap station recordings (view ShakeMap). PGA in g (fraction of gravitational acceleration); PGV in cm/s. The observed MMI shown on the map uses ShakeMap's reported instrumental intensity where available, or max(MMI from PGA, MMI from PGV) otherwise.

Ground Shaking Intensities — Interpolated ShakeMap MMI

3 sites
Location MMI Description
California City
CA
Weak(II)
Ridgecrest
CA
Weak(II)
China Lake Acres
CA
Weak(II)

Seismic Station Observed MMI

MMI values are derived directly from observed ground motion measurements at seismic stations and are not spatially interpolated.

3 stations
Station MMI Description
Desert Tortoise Park (CI.DTP) Weak(II)
Laurel Mtn (CI.LRL) Weak(III)
California City Airport (CI.CCA) Weak(II)