QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 11:01 pm PST (07:01 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 30 km (19 mi) S, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Los Angeles

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 21 km (13 mi) west-southwest of Los Angeles, CA, at 2:23 am PDT on 26 September 2018 (09:23 UTC), 9.2 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2km NW of Marina del Rey, CA

6 km (4 mi) SW of Los Angeles, CA · in Santa Monica, CA

2:23 am PDT, Sep 26, 2018 · · 9.2 km deep · released about 6.4 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Angeles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 30 kmOrange County 72 kmVentura County 74 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
2:23 am PDT on 26 September 2018 ()
Where
21 km (13 mi) west-southwest of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
9.2 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 30 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Santa Monica fault, 6 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 2942 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 5 km (3 mi) from the epicentre. In Los Angeles, 21 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 Monica 4 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,700,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 150× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 6.4 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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 23 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 26 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 48 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 36 km ENE of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 32 km N of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 48 km N 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 33.9898, -118.4638. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 30 km (18 mi) NE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Orange County, CA 72 km (45 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orange County
Ventura County, CA 74 km (46 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 2km SSW of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  2. 1.5 2km SW of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  3. 2.8 7km NW of Malibu, CA
  4. 1.5 7km ESE of San Pedro, CA
  5. 1.8 6km SW of Sherman Oaks, CA
  6. 1.8 3km ESE of Northridge, CA
  7. 2.0 2km E of Santa Monica, CA
  8. 1.5 3km ESE of Northridge, CA
  9. 2.6 3km ESE of Northridge, CA
  10. 2.6 2km ESE of Santa Monica, CA
  11. 1.8 3km NNE of Granada Hills, CA
  12. 1.6 4km NNW of Signal Hill, CA
  13. 1.6 15km S of Las Flores, CA
  14. 2.2 2km ENE of Simi Valley, CA
  15. 1.6 2km E of Canoga Park, 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.