Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.9ml
Earthquake near Yorba Linda, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Yorba Linda in the 24 hours to 9:53 pm PST (05:53 UTC). The last one was M 1.8, 5 km (3 mi) ESE, at 9:16 pm PST on 3 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Yorba Linda
This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) west-northwest of Yorba Linda, CA, at 12:17 am PDT on 16 August 2016 (07:17 UTC), 3.4 km deep. 566 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 3km WNW of Yorba Linda, CA
in Placentia, CA · 54 km (34 mi) ESE of Los Angeles, CA
- When
- 12:17 am PDT on 16 August 2016 ()
- Where
- 3 km (2 mi) west-northwest of Yorba Linda, CA · earthquakes near Yorba Linda
- Magnitude
- M 2.9 (ml)
- Depth
- 3.4 km below the surface
- Felt
- 566 reports · strongest reported intensity III
- Measured shaking
- intensity IV (ShakeMap)
- Nearest
- Orange County, 25 km SSE
- Nearest mapped fault
- Puente Hills blind thrust system, 3 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 2780 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Yorba Linda, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Yorba Linda, CA. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 31 km (19 mi) from the epicentre. In Yorba Linda, 3 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Yorba Linda 3 km, intensity III · Placentia 4 km, intensity III · Brea 6 km, intensity III · Fullerton 8 km, intensity III · Anaheim 10 km, intensity III · La Habra 10 km, intensity III · Rowland Heights 11 km, intensity III · Orange 12 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 630 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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 24,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 17,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.5× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.9 about 630 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 17 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 33 km SSW of this epicentre
- 6.0 The 1910 Lake Elsinore, California Earthquake · 46 km ESE of this epicentre
- 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 28 km NW of this epicentre
- 5.8 The 1991 Sierra Madre, California Earthquake · 44 km NNW of this epicentre
- 5.5 The 1990 Upland, California Earthquake · 30 km NNE 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 33.8975, -117.8412. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County, CA | 25 km (16 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Orange County |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 51 km (32 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Los Angeles County |
| Ventura County, CA | 130 km (80 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Ventura County |
| San Diego County, CA | 139 km (86 mi) | SE | earthquakes near San Diego County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
56 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.5 5km SE of Home Gardens, CA
- 1.5 7km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
- 2.0 2km ESE of Rowland Heights, CA
- 2.1 4km W of Costa Mesa, CA
- 1.5 1km SW of La Canada Flintridge, CA
- 1.5 3km SE of Brea, CA
- 1.6 2km SW of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
- 1.6 4km SE of Home Gardens, CA
- 1.6 7km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
- 1.6 5km SE of Home Gardens, CA
- 1.6 2km N of Bradbury, CA
- 1.9 1km ENE of Brea, CA
- 1.6 1km SW of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
- 1.5 2km WNW of Huntington Park, CA
- 1.9 3km NNW of Baldwin 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.