QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Compton, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Compton in the 24 hours to 9:15 pm PST (05:15 UTC). The last one was M 1.8, 6 km (4 mi) W, at 2:31 pm PDT on 31 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Compton

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) south of Compton, CA, at 9:40 pm PDT on 20 August 2016 (04:40 UTC), 8.1 km deep. 18 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3km S of Compton, CA

24 km (15 mi) SE of Los Angeles, CA · in Compton, CA

9:40 pm PDT, Aug 20, 2016 · · 8.1 km deep · released about 38 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Compton Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 37 kmOrange County 46 kmVentura County 100 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
9:40 pm PDT on 20 August 2016 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) south of Compton, CA · earthquakes near Compton
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
8.1 km below the surface
Felt
18 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 37 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Puente Hills blind thrust system, 8 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 3718 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 15 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Compton, 3 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: Compton 3 km, intensity II · Paramount 6 km, intensity II · Willowbrook 6 km, intensity II · Lynwood 7 km, intensity II · Carson 7 km, intensity II · Lakewood 8 km, intensity II · Signal Hill 9 km, intensity II · Gardena 9 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 38 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 390,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 280,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 25× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 38 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 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 48 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 33 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 25 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 The 1991 Sierra Madre, California Earthquake · 49 km NNE of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 5km S of Chino Hills, CA · 43 km ENE 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 33.8682, -118.2197. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 37 km (23 mi) N earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Orange County, CA 46 km (29 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orange County
Ventura County, CA 100 km (62 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 1km ENE of Brea, CA
  2. 1.7 7km WSW of Huntington Beach, CA
  3. 1.6 2km N of Costa Mesa, CA
  4. 2.1 7km WSW of Huntington Beach, CA
  5. 1.8 18km SSW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  6. 2.1 7km WSW of Santa Monica, CA
  7. 1.9 19km S of Malibu Beach, CA
  8. 1.7 6km SW of Chino Hills, CA
  9. 1.6 4km N of Yorba Linda, CA
  10. 2.0 3km WSW of Panorama City, CA
  11. 2.3 14km SSE of Malibu Beach, CA
  12. 1.6 4km WSW of Compton, CA
  13. 2.5 2km NNE of Costa Mesa, CA
  14. 2.0 2km ESE of Rowland Heights, CA
  15. 2.1 4km W of Costa Mesa, 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.