QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3ml

Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 4:37 am PST (12:37 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 2.3 earthquake was recorded 36 km (23 mi) south-southwest of Los Angeles, CA, at 5:25 pm PDT on 24 October 2018 (00:25 UTC), 6.7 km deep. 12 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3km W of San Pedro, CA

11 km (7 mi) SSE of Torrance, CA · 33 km (21 mi) SSE of Los Angeles, CA

5:25 pm PDT, Oct 24, 2018 · · 6.7 km deep · released about 82 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Angeles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 51 kmLos Angeles County 52 kmVentura County 102 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
5:25 pm PDT on 24 October 2018 ()
Where
36 km (23 mi) south-southwest of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
Magnitude
M 2.3 (ml)
Depth
6.7 km below the surface
Felt
12 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Orange County, 51 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Palos Verdes fault, 2 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 2939 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 18 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Los Angeles, 36 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: Rancho Palos Verdes 6 km, intensity II · Palos Verdes Estates 10 km, intensity II · Carson 12 km, intensity II · Torrance 12 km, intensity II · Long Beach 13 km, intensity II · Redondo Beach 14 km, intensity II · Signal Hill 16 km, intensity II · Gardena 18 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 82 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 12× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 82 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 12 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 32 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 43 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.3 2 km SSW of Santa Monica, California · 34 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 7km W of Newport Beach, CA · 32 km ESE of this epicentre
  5. 5.2 1 km SW of Las Flores, California · 44 km NW 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 33.7312, -118.3227. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 51 km (32 mi) E earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 52 km (32 mi) N earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 102 km (64 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 3km SW of Orange, CA
  2. 1.6 2km ESE of Santa Monica, CA
  3. 1.6 2km N of Norwalk, CA
  4. 2.0 3km NE of Marina del Rey, CA
  5. 2.0 3km NE of Marina del Rey, CA
  6. 1.5 2km SSW of Norwalk, CA
  7. 3.1 2km SSW of Norwalk, CA
  8. 1.9 3km S of West Hollywood, CA
  9. 1.9 8km S of Malibu Beach, CA
  10. 2.7 6km SSW of Malibu Beach, CA
  11. 2.0 2km WNW of Marina del Rey, CA
  12. 1.9 0km SW of Lennox, CA
  13. 2.6 6km SSW of Sherman Oaks, CA
  14. 1.7 4km E of Brea, CA
  15. 1.7 20km SSE of San Pedro, 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.