QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2ml

Earthquake near Santa Paula, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Santa Paula in the 24 hours to 8:37 am PST (16:37 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 9 km (6 mi) NW, at 2:39 am PDT on 23 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Santa Paula

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 9 km (6 mi) northwest of Santa Paula, CA, at 6:20 pm PDT on 3 August 2017 (01:20 UTC), 16 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 9km NW of Santa Paula, CA

79 km (49 mi) NW of Los Angeles, CA · 20 km (13 mi) NE of San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA

6:20 pm PDT, Aug 3, 2017 · · 16 km deep · released about 54 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Santa Paula Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ventura County 6 kmLos Angeles County 83 kmSanta Barbara County 85 kmKern County 110 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
6:20 pm PDT on 3 August 2017 ()
Where
9 km (6 mi) northwest of Santa Paula, CA · earthquakes near Santa Paula
Magnitude
M 2.2 (ml)
Depth
16 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Ventura County, 6 km S
Nearest mapped fault
San Cayetano 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 3304 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 Santa Paula, 9 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: Ojai, Meiners Oaks, Mira Monte, Saticoy, Oak View, Fillmore.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 54 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 280,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 200,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 18× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 54 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 870 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 13 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.6 7km NNE of Simi Valley, California · 40 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 Southwest of Tejon Pass, California · 34 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 10 km NE of Toro Canyon, California · 36 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 The 1941 Santa Barbara, California Earthquake · 42 km WSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 The 1973 Point Mugu, California Earthquake · 49 km S 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 34.4158, -119.1240. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ventura County, CA 6 km (4 mi) S earthquakes near Ventura County
Los Angeles County, CA 83 km (51 mi) ESE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Santa Barbara County, CA 85 km (53 mi) W earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
Kern County, CA 110 km (68 mi) NNE earthquakes near Kern County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 15km N of Santa Paula, CA
  2. 1.8 15km N of Santa Paula, CA
  3. 1.6 15km N of Santa Paula, CA
  4. 1.6 15km N of Santa Paula, CA
  5. 1.6 6km WSW of Valencia, CA
  6. 1.7 7km SSW of Castaic, CA
  7. 1.8 6km SSE of Santa Paula, CA
  8. 1.6 11km N of Piru, CA
  9. 2.6 3km SE of Piru, CA
  10. 1.9 6km W of Moorpark, CA
  11. 1.5 6km W of Moorpark, CA
  12. 1.9 4km SE of Piru, CA
  13. 1.6 2km SSE of Piru, CA
  14. 2.1 3km SE of Piru, CA
  15. 2.4 4km SE of Piru, 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.