QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0ml

Earthquake near Avalon, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Avalon in the 24 hours to 12:13 am PST (08:13 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 38 km (23 mi) ESE, at 1:22 pm PDT on 5 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 126 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Avalon

This page: a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded 30 km (18 mi) south-southeast of Avalon, CA, at 10:30 am PST on 4 January 2018 (18:30 UTC), 5.8 km deep. 32 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 30km SSE of Avalon, CA

58 km (36 mi) SSW of Newport Beach, CA · 103 km (64 mi) SSE of Los Angeles, CA

10:30 am PST, Jan 4, 2018 · · 5.8 km deep · released about 830 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Avalon Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 71 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
10:30 am PST on 4 January 2018 ()
Where
30 km (18 mi) south-southeast of Avalon, CA · earthquakes near Avalon
Magnitude
M 3.0 (ml)
Depth
5.8 km below the surface
Felt
32 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Orange County, 71 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Catalina fault, 9 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 3155 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 34 km (21 mi) from the epicentre. In Avalon, 30 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.

Likely felt in: Avalon 30 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 830 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 410,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 18,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 13,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 830 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 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 11km NNE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA · 27 km SSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 The 1986 Oceanside, California Earthquake · 31 km ESE 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 33.1205, -118.1517. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 71 km (44 mi) NNE earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 120 km (75 mi) N earthquakes near Los Angeles County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 5km WNW of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA
  2. 2.4 12km WNW of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA
  3. 3.3 14km W of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA
  4. 2.9 16km WNW of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA
  5. 2.6 11km W of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA
  6. 4.3 15km W of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA
  7. 4.3 13km W of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA
  8. 3.0 41km WSW of Camp Pendleton South, CA
  9. 2.2 41km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  10. 1.6 45km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  11. 1.6 40km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  12. 2.5 45km ENE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA
  13. 1.8 39km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  14. 2.9 12km NW of San Clemente Is. (NW tip), CA
  15. 2.1 21km NE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), 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.