Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 3.2ml
Earthquake near Encinitas, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Encinitas in the 24 hours to 3:37 pm PST (23:37 UTC). The last one was M 4.9, 141 km (88 mi) NE, at 5:56 pm PST on 19 January 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 8,214 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Encinitas
This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 26 km (16 mi) west-southwest of Encinitas, CA, at 7:36 pm PST on 20 November 2019 (03:36 UTC), 15 km deep. 49 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 26km WSW of Encinitas, CA
41 km (26 mi) WNW of San Diego, CA · 29 km (18 mi) WSW of Encinitas, CA
- When
- 7:36 pm PST on 20 November 2019 ()
- Where
- 26 km (16 mi) west-southwest of Encinitas, CA · earthquakes near Encinitas
- Magnitude
- M 3.2 (ml)
- Depth
- 15 km below the surface
- Felt
- 49 reports · strongest reported intensity III
- Nearest
- San Diego County, 73 km E
- Nearest mapped fault
- Carlsbad fault, 7 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 757 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Encinitas, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Encinitas, CA. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 43 km (27 mi) from the epicentre. In Encinitas, 26 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: Oceanside 32 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 1,800 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 180,000× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 8,200× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 5,800× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 3.2 about 1,800 lb of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.9× 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:
- 5.5 The 1986 Oceanside, California Earthquake · 30 km W 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 32.9435, -117.5490. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego County, CA | 73 km (45 mi) | E | earthquakes near San Diego County |
| Orange County, CA | 84 km (52 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Orange County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
40 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.7 30km WSW of La Jolla, CA
- 1.7 16km S of San Clemente, CA
- 1.7 18km WSW of La Jolla, CA
- 2.6 52km ESE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA
- 2.7 33km WSW of La Jolla, CA
- 1.8 39km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
- 1.6 29km WSW of Camp Pendleton South, CA
- 2.1 39km WSW of Encinitas, CA
- 1.9 13km W of Carlsbad, CA
- 2.7 43km WSW of Encinitas, CA
- 1.7 14km SW of Coronado, CA
- 1.7 14km W of Coronado, CA
- 1.7 46km WSW of Coronado, CA
- 2.4 46km SSW of Dana Point, CA
- 2.0 14km SW of Coronado, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.