2008 Chino Hills earthquake
earthquake that occurred on July 29 in southern California

The 2008 Chino Hills earthquake occurred at 11:42:15 am PDT (18:42:15 UTC) on July 29 in Southern California, United States. The epicenter of the magnitude 5.4 earthquake was in Chino Hills, c. 28 miles (45 km) east-southeast of downtown Los Angeles. Movement on an oblique-slip fault resulted in a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). Though there were no deaths, eight people were injured, and it caused considerable damage in numerous structures throughout the area and caused some amusement park facilities to shut down their rides. The earthquake led to increased discussion regarding the possibility of a stronger earthquake in the future.
Earthquake
The Chino Hills earthquake was caused by oblique-slip faulting, with components of both thrust and sinistral strike-slip displacement. Preliminary reports cited the Whittier Fault as the active cause, but the quake was later determined to have been generated by the "Yorba Linda trend," as identified by Caltech seismologist Egill Hauksson. Its epicenter was within 3 miles (4.8 km) of Chino Hills and its hypocenter was c. 15.5 kilometers (9.6 mi) deep.
The public source identifies “2008 Chino Hills earthquake” as earthquake that occurred on July 29 in southern California. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Chino, Hills and earthquake.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “2008 Chino Hills earthquake”, the useful work is to connect “earthquake that occurred on July 29 in southern California” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1812011. Authority coordinates are 33.953, -117.761. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2008.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “2008 Chino Hills earthquake”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow 2008 Chino Hills earthquake primary sources, 2008 Chino Hills earthquake archive and Chino research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “2008 Chino Hills earthquake”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “2008 Chino Hills earthquake” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.