QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7ml

Earthquake near Valencia, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Valencia in the 24 hours to 7:02 am PST (15:02 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 6 km (4 mi) S, at 8:32 am PDT on 18 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 16 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Valencia

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 37 km (23 mi) north-northwest of Valencia, CA, at 10:45 pm PDT on 27 August 2016 (05:45 UTC), 12 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 10km SE of Gorman, CA

87 km (54 mi) NNW of Los Angeles, CA · 44 km (27 mi) NNW of Santa Clarita, CA

10:45 pm PDT, Aug 27, 2016 · · 12 km deep · released about 290 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ventura County 54 kmKern County 67 kmLos Angeles County 77 kmSanta Barbara County 118 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
10:45 pm PDT on 27 August 2016 ()
Where
37 km (23 mi) north-northwest of Valencia, CA · earthquakes near Valencia
Magnitude
M 2.7 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Ventura County, 54 km SW
Nearest mapped fault
San Andreas fault, 1 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 3727 days ago

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 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In Valencia, 37 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: Frazier Park 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 290 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 51,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 36,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 290 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.1 on 2016-03-12 — about 160 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 25 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.5 The 1952 Kern County, California Earthquake · 32 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 Tejon Pass, California · 21 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 13km WNW of Grapevine, CA · 37 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 5.6 7km NNE of Simi Valley, California · 47 km S of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 Southwest of Tejon Pass, California · 22 km WSW 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 34.7458, -118.7683. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ventura County, CA 54 km (34 mi) SW earthquakes near Ventura County
Kern County, CA 67 km (42 mi) N earthquakes near Kern County
Los Angeles County, CA 77 km (48 mi) SE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Santa Barbara County, CA 118 km (74 mi) W earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
Orange County, CA 150 km (93 mi) SE earthquakes near Orange 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. 2.3 9km W of Pine Mountain Club, CA
  2. 2.9 2km NNW of Frazier Park, CA
  3. 1.6 6km S of Piru, CA
  4. 1.6 4km NW of Frazier Park, CA
  5. 3.5 5km NNW of Frazier Park, CA
  6. 2.2 19 km NE of Ojai, California
  7. 2.0 5 km ESE of Piru, California
  8. 1.5 5 km NW of Lake of the Woods, California
  9. 1.6 5km NE of Lebec, CA
  10. 1.7 4km N of Simi Valley, CA
  11. 1.6 14km N of Castaic, CA
  12. 1.5 15km N of Fillmore, CA
  13. 1.5 9km NNE of Castaic, CA
  14. 1.5 6km W of Fillmore, CA
  15. 1.9 18km NNW of Grapevine, 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.