QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Ojai, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Ojai in the 24 hours to 6:38 am PST (14:38 UTC). The last one was M 1.5, 7 km (5 mi) S, at 2:56 am PST on 6 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ojai

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 2 km (2 mi) north of Ojai, CA, at 1:46 am PDT on 27 August 2017 (08:46 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 2km N of Ojai, CA

91 km (57 mi) WNW of Los Angeles, CA · 23 km (14 mi) N of San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA

1:46 am PDT, Aug 27, 2017 · · 12 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ventura County 16 kmSanta Barbara County 74 kmLos Angeles County 95 kmKern County 108 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
1:46 am PDT on 27 August 2017 ()
Where
2 km (2 mi) north of Ojai, CA · earthquakes near Ojai
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Ventura County, 16 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
Mission Ridge fault system, 4 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 3304 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 Ojai, 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Meiners Oaks, Mira Monte, Oak View, Santa Paula, Ventura, Saticoy.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.4 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 8,800 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 8 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.5 Southwest of Tejon Pass, California · 34 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 10 km NE of Toro Canyon, California · 24 km W of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 The 1941 Santa Barbara, California Earthquake · 34 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 9 km SW of Channel Islands Beach, California · 42 km S of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 2km NNE of Frazier Park, CA · 50 km NE 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 34.4698, -119.2392. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ventura County, CA 16 km (10 mi) SE earthquakes near Ventura County
Santa Barbara County, CA 74 km (46 mi) W earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
Los Angeles County, CA 95 km (59 mi) ESE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Kern County, CA 108 km (67 mi) NNE earthquakes near Kern County
San Luis Obispo County, CA 150 km (93 mi) NW earthquakes near San Luis Obispo 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 21km NNW of Santa Cruz Is. (E end), CA
  2. 2.0 14km SW of Port Hueneme, CA
  3. 1.7 6km ESE of Port Hueneme, CA
  4. 1.7 7km NNW of Fillmore, CA
  5. 1.6 3km NW of Frazier Park, CA
  6. 1.5 4km S of Frazier Park, CA
  7. 1.6 4km S of Frazier Park, CA
  8. 2.4 17km SW of Port Hueneme, CA
  9. 1.9 3km NNW of Frazier Park, CA
  10. 2.5 4km SE of Piru, CA
  11. 1.7 3km SSE of Frazier Park, CA
  12. 1.5 5km WNW of Frazier Park, CA
  13. 2.4 1km WSW of Santa Barbara, CA
  14. 2.8 16km N of Santa Paula, CA
  15. 1.5 15km N of Santa Paula, 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.