QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3ml

Earthquake near Orcutt, CA

USGS: 9km WSW of Orcutt, CA

13 km (8 mi) SW of Santa Maria, CA

11:57 am PDT, Mar 12, 2017 · · 0.1 km deep · released about 72 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Orcutt Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Santa Barbara County 56 kmSan Luis Obispo County 62 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
11:57 am PDT on 12 March 2017 ()
Where
9 km (5 mi) WSW of Orcutt, CA · earthquakes near Orcutt
Magnitude
M 2.3 (ml)
Depth
0.1 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Santa Barbara County, 56 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
Hosgri fault, 16 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 3426 days ago

A magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 9 km (5 mi) WSW of Orcutt, CA, at 11:57 am PDT on 12 March 2017 (18:57 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: Vandenberg Space Force Base, Vandenberg Village, Santa Maria, Guadalupe, Mission Hills, Lompoc.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 72 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 210,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 150,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 13× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 72 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 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.9 The 1927 Lompoc, California Earthquake · 24 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 Near Los Alamos, California · 12 km ESE of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 Near Los Alamos, California · 26 km SE of this epicentre
  4. 5.7 Near Los Alamos, California · 40 km SE of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 5 km SSW of Nipomo, California · 18 km N 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 34.8368, -120.5265. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Santa Barbara County, CA 56 km (35 mi) SE earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
San Luis Obispo County, CA 62 km (38 mi) N earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 8km SE of San Luis Obispo, CA
  2. 2.0 25km SW of Lompoc, CA
  3. 2.0 18km WSW of Lompoc, CA
  4. 2.1 23km SW of Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA
  5. 1.5 4km WSW of Los Alamos, CA
  6. 2.2 4km NNE of Pismo Beach, CA
  7. 2.1 8km SSE of Los Alamos, CA
  8. 2.2 30km SW of Lompoc, CA
  9. 2.1 32km SW of Lompoc, CA
  10. 2.2 25km SW of Lompoc, CA
  11. 1.5 24km SSW of Lompoc, CA
  12. 2.2 26km SW of Lompoc, CA
  13. 4.3 32km SW of Lompoc, CA
  14. 1.9 10km S of Guadalupe, CA
  15. 1.8 7km SSE of Los Alamos, 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.