QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9ml

Earthquake near Buena Park, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Buena Park in the 24 hours to 3:59 am PST (11:59 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 19 km (12 mi) WSW, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Buena Park

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) south of Buena Park, CA, at 1:24 pm PDT on 12 July 2018 (20:24 UTC), 19 km deep. 180 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2km S of Buena Park, CA

in Buena Park, CA · 42 km (26 mi) ESE of Los Angeles, CA

1:24 pm PDT, Jul 12, 2018 · · 19 km deep · released about 700 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Buena Park Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 28 kmLos Angeles County 46 kmVentura County 119 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
1:24 pm PDT on 12 July 2018 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) south of Buena Park, CA · earthquakes near Buena Park
Magnitude
M 2.9 (ml)
Depth
19 km below the surface
Felt
180 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Orange County, 28 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
Puente Hills blind thrust system, 4 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 3030 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 26 km (16 mi) from the epicentre. In Buena Park, 2 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: Buena Park 2 km, intensity II · Cypress 5 km, intensity II · Stanton 5 km, intensity II · Cerritos 6 km, intensity II · Fullerton 7 km, intensity II · La Mirada 8 km, intensity II · Anaheim 8 km, intensity II · Norwalk 10 km, intensity II. 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 14 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 24 km S of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 25 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 The 1991 Sierra Madre, California Earthquake · 47 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 The 1990 Upland, California Earthquake · 43 km NE of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 5km S of Chino Hills, CA · 24 km ENE 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 33.8480, -118.0003. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 28 km (17 mi) SE earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 46 km (28 mi) NNW earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 119 km (74 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ventura County
San Diego County, CA 146 km (91 mi) SE earthquakes near San Diego County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 1km WSW of Inglewood, CA
  2. 1.5 1km NE of Lennox, CA
  3. 1.9 5km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  4. 1.9 2km ENE of Studio City, CA
  5. 1.9 9km ENE of Villa Park, CA
  6. 1.6 4km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  7. 1.5 6km SW of Marina del Rey, CA
  8. 2.4 3km NNW of La Verne, CA
  9. 2.1 4km N of La Verne, CA
  10. 1.5 2km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  11. 1.8 3km S of Huntington Beach, CA
  12. 1.8 1km W of Manhattan Beach, CA
  13. 2.4 1km WSW of Manhattan Beach, CA
  14. 1.8 4km N of La Verne, CA
  15. 1.5 3km NNW of La Verne, 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.