QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3ml

Earthquake near Valencia, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Valencia in the 24 hours to 3:09 am PST (11:09 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 6 km (4 mi) S, at 8:32 am PDT on 18 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 16 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Valencia

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) southwest of Valencia, CA, at 5:02 am PDT on 27 May 2018 (12:02 UTC), 7.6 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8km SW of Valencia, CA

13 km (8 mi) W of Santa Clarita, CA · 48 km (30 mi) NNW of Los Angeles, CA

5:02 am PDT, May 27, 2018 · · 7.6 km deep · released about 91 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Valencia Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 42 kmVentura County 46 kmKern County 105 kmOrange County 114 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
5:02 am PDT on 27 May 2018 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) southwest of Valencia, CA · earthquakes near Valencia
Magnitude
M 2.3 (ml)
Depth
7.6 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 42 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
Northridge blind thrust, 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 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 19 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Valencia, 5 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: Valencia 5 km, intensity II · Santa Clarita 9 km, intensity II · Piru 14 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 91 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 5.8 170,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 120,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 10× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 91 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 520 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 18 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 23 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 25 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 20 km SE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 25 km E of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 25 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 34.4063, -118.6403. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 42 km (26 mi) SE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 46 km (28 mi) W earthquakes near Ventura County
Kern County, CA 105 km (65 mi) N earthquakes near Kern County
Orange County, CA 114 km (71 mi) SE earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 2km E of Canoga Park, CA
  2. 1.6 7km SW of Valencia, CA
  3. 1.8 6km WNW of Castaic, CA
  4. 1.8 7km WSW of Valencia, CA
  5. 2.4 7km WSW of Valencia, CA
  6. 2.1 7km WSW of Valencia, CA
  7. 1.6 12km WNW of Malibu, CA
  8. 2.2 4km WSW of Panorama City, CA
  9. 2.7 12km NE of Ojai, CA
  10. 2.3 4km SE of San Fernando, CA
  11. 2.1 1km E of Santa Monica, CA
  12. 1.6 1km SE of San Fernando, CA
  13. 1.6 2km WSW of Santa Monica, CA
  14. 1.6 3km SSE of San Fernando, CA
  15. 1.6 4km SSE of San Fernando, 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.