QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9ml

Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 12:16 am PST (08:16 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 2.9 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) west of Los Angeles, CA, at 4:29 am PDT on 12 April 2019 (11:29 UTC), 7.3 km deep. 745 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 0km SSW of Century City, CA

in Los Angeles, CA

4:29 am PDT, Apr 12, 2019 · · 7.3 km deep · released about 630 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Angeles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 21 kmOrange County 73 kmVentura County 74 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
4:29 am PDT on 12 April 2019 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) west of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
Magnitude
M 2.9 (ml)
Depth
7.3 km below the surface
Felt
745 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 21 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Santa Monica fault, under 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 877 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 30 km (19 mi) from the epicentre. In Los Angeles, 16 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 Monica 8 km, intensity III · Inglewood 12 km, intensity III · Los Angeles 16 km, intensity II · Westmont 17 km, intensity II · Hawthorne 17 km, intensity II · Burbank 17 km, intensity II · Glendale 18 km, intensity II · Florence-Graham 19 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 630 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 24,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 17,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 630 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 25 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 21 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 40 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 31 km E of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 25 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 40 km N 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 34.0557, -118.4178. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 21 km (13 mi) NE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Orange County, CA 73 km (45 mi) SE earthquakes near Orange County
Ventura County, CA 74 km (46 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ventura 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. 1.7 1km ESE of Inglewood, CA
  2. 1.6 11km WSW of Manhattan Beach, CA
  3. 2.1 1km WSW of Chatsworth, CA
  4. 1.8 1km ENE of Panorama City, CA
  5. 1.8 4km SW of MacArthur Park, CA
  6. 2.0 1km ESE of Long Beach, CA
  7. 1.7 10km S of San Pedro, CA
  8. 2.0 2km SW of Montebello, CA
  9. 1.6 2km N of Inglewood, CA
  10. 2.8 12km S of Malibu, CA
  11. 1.8 6km SW of Calabasas, CA
  12. 1.5 6km ESE of San Pedro, CA
  13. 1.8 5km SE of Agoura Hills, CA
  14. 1.8 5km ESE of San Pedro, CA
  15. 2.3 2km NE of Granada Hills, 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.