QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 3:42 am PST (11:42 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 30 km (19 mi) S, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Los Angeles

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 37 km (23 mi) west-northwest of Los Angeles, CA, at 9:16 pm PDT on 8 March 2020 (04:16 UTC), 1.5 km deep. 69 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4km SE of Chatsworth, CA

28 km (17 mi) NNW of Los Angeles, CA · 16 km (10 mi) ESE of Simi Valley, CA

9:16 pm PDT, Mar 8, 2020 · · 1.5 km deep · released about 32 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Angeles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 29 kmVentura County 53 kmOrange County 96 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
9:16 pm PDT on 8 March 2020 ()
Where
37 km (23 mi) west-northwest of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
1.5 km below the surface
Felt
69 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 29 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Sierra Madre fault, 8 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 578 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 16 km (10 mi) from the epicentre. In Los Angeles, 37 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: Hidden Hills, Topanga, Stevenson Ranch, Agoura, Oak Park, Santa Clarita.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 32 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 470,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 330,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 30× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 32 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 21 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 4 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 28 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 50 km ESE of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 9 km ENE of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 28 km NE 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 34.2312, -118.5767. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 29 km (18 mi) E earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 53 km (33 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ventura County
Orange County, CA 96 km (60 mi) SE earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 4.2 1km SE of Sylmar, CA
  2. 1.8 14km SSE of Malibu Beach, CA
  3. 1.6 10km S of Malibu Beach, CA
  4. 2.2 4km NNW of Santa Monica, CA
  5. 1.5 3km SW of San Fernando, CA
  6. 2.0 2km SW of San Fernando, CA
  7. 1.7 1km NNE of Hollywood, CA
  8. 1.7 15km SSW of Thousand Oaks, CA
  9. 2.1 5km NNW of Sylmar, CA
  10. 1.8 18km S of Camarillo, CA
  11. 1.6 14km WNW of Malibu, CA
  12. 2.5 1km NNW of San Fernando, CA
  13. 1.6 2km NNW of Pacoima, CA
  14. 1.6 2 km NE of Silver Lake, CA
  15. 2.1 2km E of Lennox, 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.