QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Malibu, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Malibu in the 24 hours to 6:38 am PST (14:38 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 8 km (5 mi) W, at 4:53 am PDT on 16 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Malibu

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) southwest of Malibu, CA, at 11:23 pm PST on 17 February 2017 (07:23 UTC), 11 km deep.

USGS: 10km SSW of Malibu, CA

43 km (27 mi) WSW of Los Angeles, CA · 30 km (18 mi) S of Thousand Oaks, CA

11:23 pm PST, Feb 17, 2017 · · 11 km deep · released about 14 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Malibu Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ventura County 54 kmLos Angeles County 63 kmOrange County 104 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
11:23 pm PST on 17 February 2017 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) southwest of Malibu, CA · earthquakes near Malibu
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Ventura County, 54 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Dume fault, 4 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 3467 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 8 km (5 mi) from the epicentre. In Malibu, 13 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Agoura, Thousand Oaks, Oak Park.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 14 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 760,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 68× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 14 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 10 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 44 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 5.6 7km NNE of Simi Valley, California · 47 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 11km NNW of Santa Barbara Is., CA · 47 km SSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 2 km SSW of Santa Monica, California · 35 km ENE of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 The 1973 Point Mugu, California Earthquake · 18 km WNW 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 33.9268, -118.8642. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ventura County, CA 54 km (34 mi) NNW earthquakes near Ventura County
Los Angeles County, CA 63 km (39 mi) ENE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Orange County, CA 104 km (65 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orange County
Santa Barbara County, CA 127 km (79 mi) WNW earthquakes near Santa Barbara County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 3km SE of Chatsworth, CA
  2. 2.3 5km SW of Port Hueneme, CA
  3. 1.9 5km NW of Westwood, CA
  4. 3.6 5km NW of Westwood, CA
  5. 2.0 17km SSE of Malibu, CA
  6. 1.7 15km SW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  7. 1.5 6km SSE of Malibu, CA
  8. 1.5 2km NW of Lennox, CA
  9. 1.8 17km SSE of Malibu, CA
  10. 1.8 0km WNW of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  11. 2.0 1km SSW of Sherman Oaks, CA
  12. 1.7 0km SSE of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  13. 1.7 0km SE of Century City, CA
  14. 1.6 6km ESE of Agoura Hills, CA
  15. 1.7 4km SSE of Encino, 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.