A rapid-fire barrage of 16 earthquakes slammed Southern California in less than 24 hours, reigniting terrifying fears that the “Big One” is getting ready to tear the region apart.

California Earthquake 2026 explains what happened, where the quake was felt, aftershocks, risks, and how residents can prepare for future earthquakes.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA - According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a preliminary 2.7 magnitude quake occurred close to Indio Tuesday afternoon.

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake shook Indio Monday night, rattling residents across the Coachella Valley but causing no major damage or serious injuries — while also raising fresh questions about how California’s Earthquake Early Warning system works and why alerts reached some people before the shaking,

Some of California’s biggest earthquakes have occurred on lesser-known fault areas, including both the Ridgecrest quake and the magnitude 6.7 Northridge quake in 1994. And in the Bay Area, geologists have identified the Hayward Fault in the East Bay and the Rodgers Creek Fault in Sonoma County as having the potential to produce major quakes.

A series of earthquakes, one considered significant, shook homes and property in the Coachella Valley on Monday and Tuesday.

In California, the ground doesn’t need much of a warning to remind people who’s really in control. The state carries the highest seismic risk in the United States, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the nation’s total earthquake threat.

A moderate earthquake and a series of aftershocks centered near Indio rattled portions of Southern California on Monday evening, Jan. 19, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The 4.9-magnitude earthquake hit at 5:56 p.m., 11 miles north-northeast of Indio, the USGS said. The shaking was felt well south of Indio.

UTC, 9km deep—felt Palm Springs, Riverside, San Diego. USGS details, no damage, safety tips amid trends., US News, Times Now