QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Costa Mesa, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Costa Mesa in the 24 hours to 9:44 pm PST (05:44 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 29 km (18 mi) WNW, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Costa Mesa

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) north-northeast of Costa Mesa, CA, at 1:43 am PDT on 19 September 2016 (08:43 UTC), 15 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2km NNE of Costa Mesa, CA

in Costa Mesa, CA · 60 km (37 mi) SE of Los Angeles, CA

1:43 am PDT, Sep 19, 2016 · · 15 km deep · released about 28 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Costa Mesa Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 12 kmLos Angeles County 66 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
1:43 am PDT on 19 September 2016 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) north-northeast of Costa Mesa, CA · earthquakes near Costa Mesa
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Orange County, 12 km E
Nearest mapped fault
San Joaquin Hills thrust, 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 3702 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 3 km (2 mi) from the epicentre. In Costa Mesa, 4 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: Fountain Valley, Newport Beach, Irvine, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, Turtle Rock.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 28 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 540,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 380,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 34× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 28 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 13 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 10 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 The 1910 Lake Elsinore, California Earthquake · 47 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 45 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.4 5km S of Chino Hills, CA · 33 km NNE of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 7km W of Newport Beach, CA · 11 km SW 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 33.6803, -117.9080. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 12 km (8 mi) E earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 66 km (41 mi) NNW earthquakes near Los Angeles County
San Diego County, CA 128 km (80 mi) SE earthquakes near San Diego County
Ventura County, CA 136 km (84 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. 1.7 10km NNE of Trabuco Canyon, CA
  2. 1.5 7km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
  3. 1.7 7km NE of Trabuco Canyon, CA
  4. 1.9 6km ESE of Ontario, CA
  5. 2.1 3km W of East Los Angeles, CA
  6. 1.8 4km NNW of Seal Beach, CA
  7. 1.6 1km SSW of Laguna Niguel, CA
  8. 1.9 3km S of Newport Beach, CA
  9. 2.2 2km ENE of Inglewood, CA
  10. 2.4 1km ENE of Brea, CA
  11. 1.7 7km WSW of Huntington Beach, CA
  12. 1.6 2km N of Costa Mesa, CA
  13. 2.1 7km WSW of Huntington Beach, CA
  14. 1.8 18km SSW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  15. 1.6 4km SE of Home Gardens, 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.