QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 4:11 am PST (12:11 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 1.9 earthquake was recorded 41 km (26 mi) west of Los Angeles, CA, at 5:01 am PDT on 16 September 2020 (12:01 UTC), 8.2 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3km S of Malibu Beach, CA

26 km (16 mi) W of Los Angeles, CA · 18 km (11 mi) W of Santa Monica, CA

5:01 am PDT, Sep 16, 2020 · · 8.2 km deep · released about 21 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Angeles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 45 kmVentura County 57 kmOrange County 92 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
5:01 am PDT on 16 September 2020 ()
Where
41 km (26 mi) west of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
8.2 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 45 km ENE
Nearest mapped fault
Dume 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 2248 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 12 km (7 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Malibu, Topanga, Agoura, Agoura Hills, Hidden Hills, Santa Monica.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 21 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 730,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 520,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 46× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 21 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.2 on 2020-07-30 — about 2,600 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 17 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 27 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 35 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.6 7km NNE of Simi Valley, California · 36 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 2 km SSW of Santa Monica, California · 17 km E of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 The 1973 Point Mugu, California Earthquake · 33 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 34.0060, -118.6895. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 45 km (28 mi) ENE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 57 km (35 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County
Orange County, CA 92 km (57 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 4km NE of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  2. 2.5 0km NW of Pacoima, CA
  3. 2.3 1km WNW of Pacoima, CA
  4. 2.1 6km SSW of Agoura Hills, CA
  5. 1.7 7km WSW of Malibu, CA
  6. 1.7 5km WSW of Hermosa Beach, CA
  7. 2.4 6km WSW of Manhattan Beach, CA
  8. 3.0 3km E of Simi Valley, CA
  9. 1.8 2km SSW of Sylmar, CA
  10. 1.5 19km S of Malibu Beach, CA
  11. 1.9 5km NNW of Chatsworth, CA
  12. 1.8 15km WNW of Malibu, CA
  13. 1.8 1km ESE of Malibu, CA
  14. 2.2 2km NE of Malibu, CA
  15. 1.5 19km S of Las Flores, 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.