QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

Earthquake near Avalon, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Avalon in the 24 hours to 11:53 am PST (19:53 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 2.4 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) north-northeast of Avalon, CA, at 11:40 pm PST on 1 December 2018 (07:40 UTC), less than 1 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 16km NNE of Avalon, CA

62 km (38 mi) SSE of Los Angeles, CA · 35 km (22 mi) SW of Huntington Beach, CA

11:40 pm PST, Dec 1, 2018 · · -0.2 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Avalon Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 51 kmLos Angeles County 80 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
11:40 pm PST on 1 December 2018 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) north-northeast of Avalon, CA · earthquakes near Avalon
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
-0.2 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Orange County, 51 km ENE
Nearest mapped fault
San Pedro Basin 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 1557 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 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In Avalon, 16 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: Avalon 16 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 89,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 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 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 31 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 5.3 7km W of Newport Beach, CA · 30 km ENE of this epicentre
  3. 5.1 The 1941 Torrance-Gardena, California Earthquakes (Second Event) · 35 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.0 2km ENE of Westminster, CA · 42 km NE of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 2 km NE of Carson, California · 42 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 33.4747, -118.2715. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 51 km (32 mi) ENE earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 80 km (50 mi) N earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 126 km (79 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 1km ESE of Long Beach, CA
  2. 1.7 10km S of San Pedro, CA
  3. 1.5 6km ESE of San Pedro, CA
  4. 1.8 5km ESE of San Pedro, CA
  5. 2.0 1km WNW of Redondo Beach, CA
  6. 2.6 2km NNE of Gardena, CA
  7. 2.5 13km S of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  8. 1.5 0km NNW of Paramount, CA
  9. 1.8 1km ENE of Gardena, CA
  10. 1.8 6km WSW of Huntington Beach, CA
  11. 1.6 4km E of Newport Beach, CA
  12. 1.7 1km ENE of Bellflower, CA
  13. 1.9 16km S of San Pedro, CA
  14. 1.9 9km SW of Newport Beach, CA
  15. 2.0 7km ESE of San Pedro, 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.