QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

Earthquake near Malibu, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Malibu in the 24 hours to 8:24 am PST (16:24 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 8 km (5 mi) W, at 4:53 am PDT on 16 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Malibu

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 18 km (11 mi) west of Malibu, CA, at 5:46 pm PDT on 1 May 2018 (00:46 UTC), 15 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 15km WNW of Malibu, CA

52 km (32 mi) W of Los Angeles, CA · 19 km (12 mi) SSW of Thousand Oaks, CA

5:46 pm PDT, May 1, 2018 · · 15 km deep · released about 140 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Malibu Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ventura County 38 kmLos Angeles County 67 kmSanta Barbara County 112 kmOrange County 117 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
5:46 pm PDT on 1 May 2018 ()
Where
18 km (11 mi) west of Malibu, CA · earthquakes near Malibu
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Ventura County, 38 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Malibu Coast fault, under 1 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 3031 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 15 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Malibu, 18 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: Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Camarillo, Agoura Hills, Port Hueneme, Agoura.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 140 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 5.8 110,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 78,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 140 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 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 44 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 5.6 7km NNE of Simi Valley, California · 40 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 30 km SW of Channel Islands Beach, California · 49 km W of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 2 km SSW of Santa Monica, California · 44 km E of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 The 1973 Point Mugu, California Earthquake · 10 km SW 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 34.0427, -118.9703. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ventura County, CA 38 km (24 mi) NNW earthquakes near Ventura County
Los Angeles County, CA 67 km (42 mi) ENE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Santa Barbara County, CA 112 km (70 mi) WNW earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
Orange County, CA 117 km (73 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 15km S of Las Flores, CA
  2. 2.2 2km ENE of Simi Valley, CA
  3. 1.6 2km E of Canoga Park, CA
  4. 2.6 18km W of Malibu, CA
  5. 1.6 12km WNW of Malibu, CA
  6. 2.2 4km WSW of Panorama City, CA
  7. 1.7 31km S of Malibu, CA
  8. 1.9 9km SSW of Malibu Beach, CA
  9. 2.1 1km E of Santa Monica, CA
  10. 1.6 2km WSW of Santa Monica, CA
  11. 1.5 25km S of Malibu, CA
  12. 2.9 22km SE of Santa Cruz Is. (E end), CA
  13. 1.6 3km ESE of Fillmore, CA
  14. 2.1 31km NNW of Santa Barbara Is., CA
  15. 2.6 12km W of Malibu, 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.