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II

Max Est. MMI

M3.8 earthquake · shaking intensity by town 18 km N of Indio, CA

Magnitude3.8
Depth5.2 km
Time 2026-01-20T18:48:11.540000Z UTC: 2026-01-20T18:48:11.540000Z
USGS ID ci41165087
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)
Sky Valley
CA
760 352
Bermuda Dunes
CA
760 294
Indio
CA
760 228

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 -0.05 0.22 0.22
BSSA14 -0.06 0.22 0.23
CY14 -0.04 0.20 0.20
CB14 -0.04 0.20 0.21
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) 0.0222 Weak(III) 0.307 Weak(III)
Mirage (CI.MGE) 0.0062 Weak(III) 0.180 Weak(II)
Garner Valley (SB.GVDA) 0.0019 Weak(II) 0.056 Not felt(I)
Mission Creek (CI.MSC) 0.0018 Weak(II) 0.049 Not felt(I)
Cactus City (CI.CTC) 0.0018 Weak(II) 0.081 Weak(II)
Idyllwild (CI.IDY) 0.0018 Weak(II) 0.027 Not felt(I)
Joshua Tree National Park Headquarters (CI.JTH) 0.0018 Weak(II) 0.067 Weak(II)
Skyland Ranch (CI.SLR) 0.0017 Weak(II) 0.047 Not felt(I)
Camp Scherman (CI.CSH) 0.0013 Weak(II) 0.024 Not felt(I)
Thermal Canyon (CI.THM) 0.0013 Not felt(I) 0.042 Not felt(I)
Hemet 2 (CI.HMT2) 0.0013 Not felt(I) 0.030 Not felt(I)
Palm Springs Desert Museum (CI.PSD) 0.0012 Not felt(I) 0.018 Not felt(I)
Ejido Tlaxcala (BC.TL2X) 0.0011 Not felt(I) 0.015 Not felt(I)
Cabazon (CI.CZN) 0.0011 Not felt(I) 0.023 Not felt(I)
Dunn Ranch (CI.DNR) 0.0011 Not felt(I) 0.036 Not felt(I)
Keenwild Fire Station, Mountain Center, CA, USA (AZ.KNW) 0.0011 Not felt(I) 0.014 Not felt(I)
Twentynine Palms (CE.21513) 0.0011 Not felt(I) 0.031 Not felt(I)
Devers (CI.DEV) 0.0011 Not felt(I) 0.050 Not felt(I)
Bachelor Mountain (CI.BAC) 0.0011 Not felt(I) 0.021 Not felt(I)
Cottonwood Mtns (CI.CTW) 0.0010 Not felt(I) 0.022 Not felt(I)
Black Rock Canyon Campground 2 (CI.BLA2) 0.0010 Not felt(I) 0.025 Not felt(I)
Santee (CE.02143) 0.0009 Not felt(I) 0.005 Not felt(I)
Polly Butte 2 (CI.POB2) 0.0009 Not felt(I) 0.032 Not felt(I)
Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District (CI.VCP) 0.0009 Not felt(I) 0.010 Not felt(I)
Oasis (CE.12808) 0.0009 Not felt(I) 0.026 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
Sky Valley
CA
Weak(II)
Bermuda Dunes
CA
Weak(II)
Indio
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
Keys View (CI.KYV) Weak(III)
Mirage (CI.MGE) Weak(II)
Thermal Canyon (CI.THM) Not felt(I)