QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9ml

Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 1:38 pm PST (21:38 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 30 km (19 mi) S, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Los Angeles

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) north-northwest of Los Angeles, CA, at 2:16 am PST on 17 February 2018 (10:16 UTC), 6.7 km deep. 1,559 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 1km SE of Silver Lake, CA

16 km (10 mi) ENE of Los Angeles, CA · 11 km (7 mi) S of Glendale, CA

2:16 am PST, Feb 17, 2018 · · 6.7 km deep · released about 700 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Angeles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 12 kmOrange County 64 kmVentura County 86 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
2:16 am PST on 17 February 2018 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) north-northwest of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
Magnitude
M 2.9 (ml)
Depth
6.7 km below the surface
Felt
1,559 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 12 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Hollywood fault, 3 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 2687 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 32 km (20 mi) from the epicentre. In Los Angeles, 4 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: Los Angeles 4 km, intensity III · Glendale 6 km, intensity III · South Pasadena 10 km, intensity III · East Los Angeles 10 km, intensity III · Burbank 12 km, intensity III · Alhambra 12 km, intensity III · Huntington Park 12 km, intensity III · Pasadena 12 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 700 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 15,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 700 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 24 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 29 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 38 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 17 km E of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 30 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 38 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 34.0862, -118.2562. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 12 km (8 mi) N earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Orange County, CA 64 km (39 mi) SE earthquakes near Orange County
Ventura County, CA 86 km (54 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 4km SSW of Baldwin Hills, CA
  2. 1.6 3km N of Pacoima, CA
  3. 1.8 1km NNW of Rolling Hills Estates, CA
  4. 1.7 2km SSW of Yorba Linda, CA
  5. 1.6 1km E of Baldwin Hills, CA
  6. 1.5 1km NE of Pico Rivera, CA
  7. 1.9 1km SW of Chatsworth, CA
  8. 1.9 15km W of Manhattan Beach, CA
  9. 2.0 4km E of Lennox, CA
  10. 1.5 4km WNW of Willowbrook, CA
  11. 2.7 2km ENE of La Habra, CA
  12. 1.7 3km E of Granada Hills, CA
  13. 1.6 1km NNE of Huntington Park, CA
  14. 1.7 9km SW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  15. 1.5 5km NNE of Granada Hills, 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.