QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9ml

Earthquake near Santa Barbara, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Santa Barbara in the 24 hours to 5:26 am PST (13:26 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 15 km (9 mi) S, at 9:33 pm PST on 4 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Santa Barbara

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 22 km (14 mi) south-southwest of Santa Barbara, CA, at 12:07 am PST on 18 November 2021 (08:07 UTC), 2.1 km deep. 15 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 22km SSW of Santa Barbara, CA

20 km (12 mi) SSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 127 km (79 mi) W of Los Angeles, CA

12:07 am PST, Nov 18, 2021 · · 2.1 km deep · released about 610 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Santa Barbara Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Santa Barbara County 42 kmVentura County 60 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
12:07 am PST on 18 November 2021 ()
Where
22 km (14 mi) south-southwest of Santa Barbara, CA · earthquakes near Santa Barbara
Magnitude
M 2.9 (ml)
Depth
2.1 km below the surface
Felt
15 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Santa Barbara County, 42 km NW
Nearest mapped fault
Mid-Channel fault, under 1 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1755 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 30 km (19 mi) from the epicentre. In Santa Barbara, 22 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Santa Barbara 22 km, intensity II · Isla Vista 22 km, intensity II · Goleta 23 km, intensity II · Carpinteria 29 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 610 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 25,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 18,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 610 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 5.3 on 2018-04-05 — about 4,300 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 9 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 The 1925 Santa Barbara, California Earthquake · 8 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 30 km SW of Channel Islands Beach, California · 36 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 10 km NE of Toro Canyon, California · 38 km NE of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 The 1941 Santa Barbara, California Earthquake · 21 km ENE of this epicentre
  5. 5.2 9 km SW of Channel Islands Beach, California · 45 km ESE of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 34.2328, -119.7640. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Santa Barbara County, CA 42 km (26 mi) NW earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
Ventura County, CA 60 km (37 mi) ENE earthquakes near Ventura County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

54 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.6 15km SSE of Santa Barbara, CA
  2. 2.0 3km ESE of Isla Vista, CA
  3. 2.4 16km ESE of Santa Rosa Is., CA
  4. 1.8 2km WNW of Goleta, CA
  5. 2.6 5km WSW of Ojai, CA
  6. 1.5 18km NNE of Montecito, CA
  7. 1.6 13km N of Goleta, CA
  8. 1.7 12km NNE of Goleta, CA
  9. 1.9 12km NNE of Goleta, CA
  10. 1.6 16km S of Isla Vista, CA
  11. 1.6 8km NNW of Ventura, CA
  12. 1.8 6km NNW of Ventura, CA
  13. 2.7 21km SW of Isla Vista, CA
  14. 2.3 17km S of Santa Barbara, CA
  15. 1.7 14km N of Goleta, CA

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.