QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Dana Point, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Dana Point in the 24 hours to 4:02 am PST (12:02 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 31 km (19 mi) SW, at 1:22 pm PDT on 5 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 126 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Dana Point

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) southeast of Dana Point, CA, at 7:08 am PST on 1 December 2017 (15:08 UTC), 14 km deep.

USGS: 4km SE of Dana Point, CA

5 km (3 mi) W of San Clemente, CA · 94 km (58 mi) SE of Los Angeles, CA

7:08 am PST, Dec 1, 2017 · · 14 km deep · released about 12 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Dana Point Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 28 kmSan Diego County 95 kmLos Angeles 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
7:08 am PST on 1 December 2017 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) southeast of Dana Point, CA · earthquakes near Dana Point
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Orange County, 28 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Newport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon 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 3268 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Dana Point, 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: San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Niguel, Ladera Ranch, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Beach.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 12 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 900,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 80× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 12 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 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 37 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 The 1910 Lake Elsinore, California Earthquake · 38 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.3 7km W of Newport Beach, CA · 37 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 8km ENE of Trabuco Canyon, CA · 32 km NNE of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 Near Lake Elsinore, California · 38 km NE 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 33.4453, -117.6690. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 28 km (17 mi) NNW earthquakes near Orange County
San Diego County, CA 95 km (59 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Diego County
Los Angeles County, CA 100 km (62 mi) NNW earthquakes near Los Angeles 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 2km SSW of Yorba Linda, CA
  2. 2.0 2km S of Newport Beach, CA
  3. 1.9 4km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  4. 1.6 8km ESE of North Tustin, CA
  5. 1.6 12km NE of Trabuco Canyon, CA
  6. 1.6 12km NE of Trabuco Canyon, CA
  7. 1.6 5km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  8. 1.6 47km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  9. 2.1 11km NNE of Trabuco Canyon, CA
  10. 2.5 11km NE of Trabuco Canyon, CA
  11. 2.0 4km W of Dana Point, CA
  12. 1.6 5km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  13. 1.5 5km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  14. 1.7 8km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
  15. 2.1 42km ESE of Avalon, 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.