QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.7ml

Earthquake near Avalon, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Avalon in the 24 hours to 8:11 am PST (16:11 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 3.7 earthquake was recorded 19 km (12 mi) northeast of Avalon, CA, at 4:18 pm PDT on 26 October 2017 (23:18 UTC), 11 km deep. 95 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 19km NE of Avalon, CA

65 km (41 mi) SSE of Los Angeles, CA · 31 km (19 mi) WSW of Newport Beach, CA

4:18 pm PDT, Oct 26, 2017 · · 11 km deep · released about 5.5 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Avalon Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 45 kmLos Angeles County 82 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
4:18 pm PDT on 26 October 2017 ()
Where
19 km (12 mi) northeast of Avalon, CA · earthquakes near Avalon
Magnitude
M 3.7 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
95 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Measured shaking
intensity III (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Orange County, 45 km ENE
Nearest mapped fault
San Pedro Basin fault, 6 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 3221 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 76 km (47 mi) from the epicentre. In Avalon, 19 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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 19 km, intensity III · Huntington Beach 28 km, intensity III · Newport Beach 29 km, intensity III · Costa Mesa 32 km, intensity III · Seal Beach 32 km, intensity III · Long Beach 34 km, intensity II · Fountain Valley 35 km, intensity II · Rancho Palos Verdes 37 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.5 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 31,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 970× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.7 about 5.5 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 12× more

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 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 25 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 5.3 7km W of Newport Beach, CA · 25 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.1 The 1941 Torrance-Gardena, California Earthquakes (Second Event) · 37 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.0 2km ENE of Westminster, CA · 39 km NNE of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 2 km NE of Carson, California · 44 km N 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 33.4618, -118.1837. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 45 km (28 mi) ENE earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 82 km (51 mi) N earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 133 km (82 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 4km SE of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  2. 1.6 22km N of Avalon, CA
  3. 1.6 2km SSE of Dana Point, CA
  4. 2.9 2km S of Buena Park, CA
  5. 1.8 4km WSW of Irvine, CA
  6. 1.5 24km SW of Dana Point, CA
  7. 1.8 1km NNW of Rolling Hills Estates, CA
  8. 2.0 2km S of Newport Beach, CA
  9. 1.7 9km SW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  10. 2.2 1km NNE of Hermosa Beach, CA
  11. 1.9 4km WSW of Compton, CA
  12. 2.0 4km W of Dana Point, CA
  13. 2.7 18km NNE of Avalon, CA
  14. 1.7 4km SW of Paramount, CA
  15. 2.5 3km N of Carson, 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.