The quake was centered about 8 miles north-northeast of Thousand Palms, with a depth of about 5 miles.
Shaking was felt in parts of Riverside County and south to the Salton Sea area, according to the USGS.
The quake struck at 5:46 p.m. as the Coachella music festival was in its final day and some attendees tweeted that they felt the shaking.
Earlier in the afternoon, a 3.1 quake was measured in the Riverside County community of Aguanga.