Earthquake Information

Chronological Earthquake Index

North Palm Springs Earthquake

TYPE OF FAULTING: right-lateral strike-slip
TIME: July 8, 1986 / 2:21 am PDT
LOCATION: 34° 00' N, 116° 36.5' W 10 km (6 miles) NW of North Palm Springs
MAGNITUDE: ML5.6
FAULT INVOLVED: either the Banning fault or the Garnet Hill fault

The 1986 North Palm Springs earthquake was responsible for at least 29 injuries and the destruction or damage of 51 homes in the Palm Springs-Morongo Valley area. It also triggered landslides in the area. Damage caused by this quake was estimated at over $4 million. Ground cracking was observed along the BanningMission Creek, and Garnet Hill faults, but these cracks were due to shaking, not surface rupture.

Click here for a rotating, 3-dimensional plot of the aftershock sequence of this earthquake.

References