QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Santa Monica, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Santa Monica in the 24 hours to 1:32 pm PST (21:32 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 38 km (24 mi) SE, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Santa Monica

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded in Santa Monica, CA, at 2:23 pm PST on 11 November 2018 (22:23 UTC), 9.6 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2km WSW of Santa Monica, CA

9 km (6 mi) W of Los Angeles, CA · in Santa Monica, CA

2:23 pm PST, Nov 11, 2018 · · 9.6 km deep · released about 8.1 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Santa Monica Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 30 kmVentura County 69 kmOrange County 77 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
2:23 pm PST on 11 November 2018 ()
Where
in Santa Monica, CA · earthquakes near Santa Monica
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
9.6 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 30 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Santa Monica fault, 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 2918 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 6 km (4 mi) from the epicentre. 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: Santa Monica in town, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.1 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 120× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.1 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 23 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 22 km N of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 46 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 40 km E of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 29 km N of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 46 km NNE 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 34.0147, -118.5093. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 30 km (19 mi) NE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 69 km (43 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County
Orange County, CA 77 km (48 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 2km SSW of Norwalk, CA
  2. 1.6 2km ESE of Northridge, CA
  3. 3.1 2km SSW of Norwalk, CA
  4. 1.9 3km S of West Hollywood, CA
  5. 1.9 8km S of Malibu Beach, CA
  6. 2.7 6km SSW of Malibu Beach, CA
  7. 2.1 4km NNE of Granada Hills, CA
  8. 2.0 2km WNW of Marina del Rey, CA
  9. 1.9 2km W of Chatsworth, CA
  10. 1.9 0km SW of Lennox, CA
  11. 1.9 3km ENE of Granada Hills, CA
  12. 2.6 6km SSW of Sherman Oaks, CA
  13. 1.7 17km WSW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  14. 1.8 1km NE of Granada Hills, CA
  15. 2.8 3km ESE of Northridge, 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.