QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5ml

Earthquake near Long Beach, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Long Beach in the 24 hours to 3:01 am PST (11:01 UTC). The last one was M 1.7, 10 km (6 mi) SSW, at 3:16 am PDT on 16 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Long Beach

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) southwest of Long Beach, CA, at 6:50 am PDT on 29 September 2017 (13:50 UTC), 4.5 km deep. 13 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8km SSE of San Pedro, CA

41 km (25 mi) SSE of Los Angeles, CA · 16 km (10 mi) SW of Long Beach, CA

6:50 am PDT, Sep 29, 2017 · · 4.5 km deep · released about 180 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Long Beach Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 46 kmLos Angeles County 59 kmVentura County 110 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
6:50 am PDT on 29 September 2017 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) southwest of Long Beach, CA · earthquakes near Long Beach
Magnitude
M 2.5 (ml)
Depth
4.5 km below the surface
Felt
13 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Orange County, 46 km E
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 1558 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 22 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Long Beach, 13 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: Long Beach 13 km, intensity II · Rancho Palos Verdes 14 km, intensity II · Seal Beach 17 km, intensity II · Signal Hill 18 km, intensity II · Carson 18 km, intensity II · Palos Verdes Estates 18 km, intensity II · Torrance 20 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 180 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 86,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 61,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 180 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 10 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 25 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 47 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.3 2 km SSW of Santa Monica, California · 42 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 7km W of Newport Beach, CA · 25 km ESE of this epicentre
  5. 5.2 13km S of Malibu Beach, CA · 47 km NW 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 33.6700, -118.2702. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 46 km (28 mi) E earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 59 km (36 mi) N earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 110 km (69 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 2km WSW of East Los Angeles, CA
  2. 1.8 6km NW of Signal Hill, CA
  3. 1.9 20km S of San Pedro, CA
  4. 1.7 3km WSW of Culver City, CA
  5. 1.6 3km NW of Inglewood, CA
  6. 1.6 2km WNW of Inglewood, CA
  7. 1.8 1km E of South Whittier, CA
  8. 1.5 3km WSW of Manhattan Beach, CA
  9. 2.2 12km S of Seal Beach, CA
  10. 2.2 16km SSW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  11. 2.5 3km N of Huntington Park, CA
  12. 1.6 1km E of Yorba Linda, CA
  13. 2.0 1km WSW of Manhattan Beach, CA
  14. 2.3 1km WSW of Manhattan Beach, CA
  15. 1.9 2km WSW of Manhattan Beach, 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.