Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 3.1ml
Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 2:29 am PST (10:29 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 3.1 earthquake was recorded 41 km (25 mi) northwest of Los Angeles, CA, at 3:19 am PDT on 3 May 2020 (10:19 UTC), 6.3 km deep. 1,425 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 1km NW of Chatsworth, CA
13 km (8 mi) E of Simi Valley, CA · 33 km (20 mi) NW of Los Angeles, CA
- When
- 3:19 am PDT on 3 May 2020 ()
- Where
- 41 km (25 mi) northwest of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
- Magnitude
- M 3.1 (ml)
- Depth
- 6.3 km below the surface
- Felt
- 1,425 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Measured shaking
- intensity IV (ShakeMap)
- Nearest
- Los Angeles County, 33 km ESE
- Nearest mapped fault
- Simi-Santa Rosa fault, 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 1006 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Los Angeles, CA
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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 42 km (26 mi) from the epicentre. In Los Angeles, 41 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: Santa Clarita 16 km, intensity III · Simi Valley 16 km, intensity III · Agoura 18 km, intensity III · Valencia 20 km, intensity II · Thousand Oaks 23 km, intensity II · Piru 24 km, intensity II · Moorpark 25 km, intensity II · Burbank 29 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 1,400 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.1 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 230,000× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 10,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 7,400× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 3.1 about 1,400 lb of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.5× 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 19 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 9 km SE of this epicentre
- 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 28 km NE of this epicentre
- 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 11 km E of this epicentre
- 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 28 km NE of this epicentre
- 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 34.2620, -118.6093. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County, CA | 33 km (20 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Los Angeles County |
| Ventura County, CA | 49 km (31 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Ventura County |
| Orange County, CA | 101 km (63 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Orange County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
53 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.7 0km NNW of San Fernando, CA
- 2.6 1km ESE of Sylmar, CA
- 1.5 1km SW of Sylmar, CA
- 2.7 1km SSE of Sylmar, CA
- 3.7 1km NNE of San Fernando, CA
- 2.1 1km SE of Sylmar, CA
- 1.9 1km NW of San Fernando, CA
- 3.1 1km N of San Fernando, CA
- 2.1 1km NNW of San Fernando, CA
- 2.1 1km ESE of Sylmar, CA
- 1.9 1km W of Sylmar, CA
- 2.1 1km WSW of Sylmar, CA
- 2.4 1km WSW of Sylmar, CA
- 2.5 1km WSW of Sylmar, CA
- 4.2 1km SE of Sylmar, 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.