Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.3ml
Earthquake near Malibu, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Malibu in the 24 hours to 2:01 am PST (10:01 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 8 km (5 mi) W, at 4:53 am PDT on 16 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Malibu
This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 49 km (31 mi) southwest of Malibu, CA, at 7:54 am PDT on 20 August 2019 (14:54 UTC), 9.4 km deep.
USGS: 21km N of Santa Barbara Is., CA
73 km (46 mi) WSW of Los Angeles, CA
- When
- 7:54 am PDT on 20 August 2019 ()
- Where
- 49 km (31 mi) southwest of Malibu, CA · earthquakes near Malibu
- Magnitude
- M 2.3 (ml)
- Depth
- 9.4 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Ventura County, 78 km N
- Nearest mapped fault
- Santa Cruz 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 2642 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Malibu, CA
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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 18 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Malibu, 49 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.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 91 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 170,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 120,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 10× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.3 about 91 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 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:
- 5.5 11km NNW of Santa Barbara Is., CA · 12 km SSW of this epicentre
- 5.3 The 1973 Point Mugu, California Earthquake · 36 km N of this epicentre
- 5.2 13km S of Malibu Beach, CA · 46 km NE of this epicentre
- 5.1 9km SSE of Santa Cruz Is. (E end), CA · 49 km NW 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 33.6592, -119.0775. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ventura County, CA | 78 km (48 mi) | N | earthquakes near Ventura County |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 96 km (60 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Los Angeles County |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 132 km (82 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Santa Barbara County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
51 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.9 3km SSE of Malibu, CA
- 2.4 22km WSW of Manhattan Beach, CA
- 1.7 21km SE of Santa Cruz Is. (E end), CA
- 2.4 9km WSW of Malibu, CA
- 1.7 2km S of Malibu, CA
- 1.8 8km SSE of Malibu, CA
- 1.5 16km WNW of Malibu, CA
- 2.5 18km SSE of Santa Cruz Is. (E end), CA
- 1.9 1km S of Malibu, CA
- 1.6 10km SE of Port Hueneme, CA
- 2.1 2km S of Malibu, CA
- 1.6 13km SE of Port Hueneme, CA
- 1.8 14km SSE of Malibu Beach, CA
- 1.6 10km S of Malibu Beach, CA
- 2.5 22km SE of Santa Cruz Is. (E end), 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.