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IV

Max Est. MMI

M4.9 earthquake · shaking intensity by town 20 km NNE of Indio, CA

Magnitude4.9
Depth3.1 km
Time 2026-01-20T01:56:14.390000Z UTC: 2026-01-20T01:56:14.390000Z
USGS ID ci41162719
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)
Indio
CA
760 228
Sky Valley
CA
760 352
Bermuda Dunes
CA
760 294
Thermal
CA
760 228
Coachella
CA
760 228
Thousand Palms
CA
760 294
Vista Santa Rosa
CA
760 228
Cathedral City
CA
760 352

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 +0.21 0.45 0.50
BSSA14 +0.05 0.42 0.43
CY14 +0.42 0.45 0.62
CB14 +0.31 0.46 0.55
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)
Keys View (CI.KYV) 0.0877 Moderate(V) 3.671 Light(IV)
Indio Hill (CI.IDO) 0.0735 Moderate(V) 4.735 Moderate(V)
Mirage (CI.MGE) 0.0637 Moderate(V) 2.196 Light(IV)
Thermal (CE.12541) 0.0603 Moderate(V) 3.359 Light(IV)
Indio (CE.12904) 0.0408 Light(IV) 2.382 Light(IV)
Cactus City (CI.CTC) 0.0366 Light(IV) 2.321 Light(IV)
Thermal Canyon (CI.THM) 0.0356 Light(IV) 1.416 Light(IV)
La Quinta (CE.12951) 0.0337 Light(IV) 1.042 Weak(III)
Cathedral City (CE.12108) 0.0288 Light(IV) 0.778 Weak(III)
Indian Wells (CE.12966) 0.0284 Light(IV) 1.205 Weak(III)
Indio Quarry (CI.IDQ) 0.0263 Light(IV) 1.393 Light(IV)
Palm Desert (CE.12952) 0.0237 Weak(III) 1.464 Light(IV)
Polly Butte 2 (CI.POB2) 0.0213 Weak(III) 0.693 Weak(III)
Temecula (CE.13172) 0.0211 Weak(III) 0.738 Weak(III)
Mission Creek (CI.MSC) 0.0189 Weak(III) 0.583 Weak(III)
Palm Springs (CE.12025) 0.0172 Weak(III) 0.528 Weak(III)
Palm Desert (CE.12502) 0.0172 Weak(III) 0.901 Weak(III)
Skyland Ranch (CI.SLR) 0.0171 Weak(III) 0.567 Weak(III)
Rancho Mirage (CE.12953) 0.0171 Weak(III) 1.252 Weak(III)
Camp Scherman (CI.CSH) 0.0165 Weak(III) 0.288 Weak(III)
Hemet (CE.12331) 0.0164 Weak(III) 0.469 Weak(III)
Idyllwild (CI.IDY) 0.0161 Weak(III) 0.436 Weak(III)
Dunn Ranch (CI.DNR) 0.0157 Weak(III) 0.786 Weak(III)
Cottonwood Mtns (CI.CTW) 0.0145 Weak(III) 0.537 Weak(III)
Twentynine Palms (CE.22954) 0.0142 Weak(III) 0.451 Weak(III)
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

8 sites
Location MMI Description
Indio
CA
Light(IV)
Sky Valley
CA
Light(IV)
Bermuda Dunes
CA
Light(IV)
Thermal
CA
Light(IV)
Coachella
CA
Light(IV)
Thousand Palms
CA
Light(IV)
Vista Santa Rosa
CA
Light(IV)
Cathedral City
CA
Light(IV)

Seismic Station Observed MMI

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

9 stations
Station MMI Description
Indio Hill (CI.IDO) Moderate(V)
Keys View (CI.KYV) Light(IV)
Thermal (CE.12541) Light(IV)
Indio (CE.12904) Light(IV)
Cactus City (CI.CTC) Light(IV)
Mirage (CI.MGE) Light(IV)
Palm Desert (CE.12952) Light(IV)
Indio Quarry (CI.IDQ) Light(IV)
Thermal Canyon (CI.THM) Light(IV)