QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Encinitas, CA

USGS: 25km WSW of Encinitas, CA

39 km (25 mi) WNW of San Diego, CA · 28 km (17 mi) WSW of Encinitas, CA

6:40 pm PDT, Oct 11, 2016 · · 18 km deep · released about 37 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Encinitas Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Diego County 71 kmOrange County 85 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
6:40 pm PDT on 11 October 2016 ()
Where
25 km (16 mi) WSW of Encinitas, CA · earthquakes near Encinitas
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
San Diego County, 71 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Carlsbad fault, 5 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 3643 days ago

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 25 km (16 mi) WSW of Encinitas, CA, at 6:40 pm PDT on 11 October 2016 (01:40 UTC). 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS. This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Del Mar, Solana Beach, Carlsbad.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 37 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 5.8 410,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 290,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 26× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 37 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.5 The 1986 Oceanside, California Earthquake · 32 km W 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 32.9370, -117.5325. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Diego County, CA 71 km (44 mi) E earthquakes near San Diego County
Orange County, CA 85 km (53 mi) NNW earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 25km WSW of Encinitas, CA
  2. 1.6 16km SW of La Jolla, CA
  3. 1.8 34km WSW of Coronado, CA
  4. 3.5 35km WSW of Coronado, CA
  5. 2.2 28km SW of La Jolla, CA
  6. 1.6 42km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  7. 2.3 45km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  8. 1.6 47km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  9. 2.1 42km ESE of Avalon, CA
  10. 1.7 30km SW of Coronado, CA
  11. 1.7 46km SSW of Dana Point, CA
  12. 1.8 18km SW of La Jolla, CA
  13. 1.6 45km WSW of Coronado, CA
  14. 2.5 45km SE of Avalon, CA
  15. 1.6 30km SW of Coronado, 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.