QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Piru, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Piru in the 24 hours to 12:16 am PST (08:16 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 16 km (10 mi) E, at 8:32 am PDT on 18 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 16 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Piru

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) southeast of Piru, CA, at 11:36 pm PST on 29 December 2017 (07:36 UTC), 18 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4km SE of Piru, CA

15 km (9 mi) N of Simi Valley, CA · 53 km (33 mi) NW of Los Angeles, CA

11:36 pm PST, Dec 29, 2017 · · 18 km deep · released about 25 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ventura County 34 kmLos Angeles County 51 kmKern County 106 kmSanta Barbara County 118 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
11:36 pm PST on 29 December 2017 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) southeast of Piru, CA · earthquakes near Piru
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Ventura County, 34 km W
Nearest mapped fault
Oak Ridge fault, under 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 3234 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 Piru, 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: Val Verde, Simi Valley, Fillmore, Valencia, Castaic, Moorpark.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 25 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 620,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 440,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 39× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 25 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 1,900 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 17 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 29 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 36 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 28 km ESE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 36 km E of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 36 km E 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 34.3972, -118.7615. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ventura County, CA 34 km (21 mi) W earthquakes near Ventura County
Los Angeles County, CA 51 km (32 mi) ESE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Kern County, CA 106 km (66 mi) N earthquakes near Kern County
Santa Barbara County, CA 118 km (73 mi) W earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
Orange County, CA 121 km (75 mi) SE earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 7km WNW of Castaic, CA
  2. 2.5 9km WNW of Malibu, CA
  3. 1.9 1km SW of Chatsworth, CA
  4. 1.7 3km E of Granada Hills, CA
  5. 2.3 8km SW of Valencia, CA
  6. 1.7 8km SW of Valencia, CA
  7. 1.5 5km NNE of Granada Hills, CA
  8. 2.1 9km WNW of Malibu, CA
  9. 2.0 6km ENE of Santa Clarita, CA
  10. 1.5 2km ENE of Simi Valley, CA
  11. 2.4 15km WNW of Malibu, CA
  12. 1.7 8km S of Malibu Beach, CA
  13. 1.7 11km N of Piru, CA
  14. 1.5 6km NNE of Granada Hills, CA
  15. 1.7 6km ESE of Port Hueneme, 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.