QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Manhattan Beach, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Manhattan Beach in the 24 hours to 4:26 am PST (12:26 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 24 km (15 mi) ESE, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Manhattan Beach

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) west-southwest of Manhattan Beach, CA, at 9:49 pm PDT on 12 March 2018 (04:49 UTC), 13 km deep.

USGS: 2km WSW of Manhattan Beach, CA

16 km (10 mi) S of Los Angeles, CA · in Redondo Beach, CA

9:49 pm PDT, Mar 12, 2018 · · 13 km deep · released about 16 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Manhattan Beach Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 39 kmOrange County 65 kmVentura County 84 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
9:49 pm PDT on 12 March 2018 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) west-southwest of Manhattan Beach, CA · earthquakes near Manhattan Beach
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 39 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Palos Verdes fault, 2 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 3030 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 4 km (2 mi) from the epicentre. In Manhattan Beach, 2 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: Manhattan Beach 2 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 16 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 970,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 680,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 61× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 16 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 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 38 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 49 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 39 km ENE of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 44 km N of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 2 km SSW of Santa Monica, California · 15 km NNW 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 33.8790, -118.4342. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 39 km (24 mi) NNE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Orange County, CA 65 km (40 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orange County
Ventura County, CA 84 km (52 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 3km SSW of Signal Hill, CA
  2. 1.7 4km WNW of Chatsworth, CA
  3. 1.5 4km SE of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  4. 1.6 0km ENE of Universal City, CA
  5. 1.6 22km N of Avalon, CA
  6. 1.6 12km SW of Marina del Rey, CA
  7. 1.7 11km SW of Westlake Village, CA
  8. 2.9 2km S of Buena Park, CA
  9. 1.9 3km NE of Chatsworth, CA
  10. 2.0 4km SSW of Baldwin Hills, CA
  11. 2.1 12km WNW of Malibu, CA
  12. 1.6 3km N of Pacoima, CA
  13. 1.8 1km NNW of Rolling Hills Estates, CA
  14. 1.6 1km E of Baldwin Hills, CA
  15. 1.5 1km NE of Pico Rivera, 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.