QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2ml

Earthquake near Long Beach, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Long Beach in the 24 hours to 5:55 am PST (13:55 UTC). The last one was M 1.7, 10 km (6 mi) SSW, at 3:16 am PDT on 16 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Long Beach

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) east-northeast of Long Beach, CA, at 9:13 am PDT on 12 October 2019 (16:13 UTC), 14 km deep. 92 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4km ESE of Long Beach, CA

in Long Beach, CA · 37 km (23 mi) SE of Los Angeles, CA

9:13 am PDT, Oct 12, 2019 · · 14 km deep · released about 52 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Long Beach Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 35 kmLos Angeles County 47 kmVentura County 112 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
9:13 am PDT on 12 October 2019 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) east-northeast of Long Beach, CA · earthquakes near Long Beach
Magnitude
M 2.2 (ml)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
92 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Orange County, 35 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Newport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon fault, 9 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 2582 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 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Long Beach, 7 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: Signal Hill 4 km, intensity II · Seal Beach 6 km, intensity II · Lakewood 7 km, intensity II · Long Beach 7 km, intensity II · Cypress 8 km, intensity II · Cerritos 9 km, intensity II · Bellflower 10 km, intensity II · Paramount 11 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 52 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 290,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 200,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 18× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 52 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 4.4 on 2018-08-29 — about 2,100 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 11 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 21 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 30 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.4 5km S of Chino Hills, CA · 37 km ENE of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 2 km SSW of Santa Monica, California · 42 km WNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 7km W of Newport Beach, CA · 22 km SSE 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 33.7942, -118.1223. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 35 km (21 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 47 km (29 mi) NNW earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 112 km (70 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 2km NNE of Laguna Niguel, CA
  2. 1.7 14km S of Las Flores, CA
  3. 1.9 3km NNW of Walnut, CA
  4. 1.5 2km SSE of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  5. 1.6 3km SSW of Willowbrook, CA
  6. 2.7 12km W of Manhattan Beach, CA
  7. 1.7 2km ENE of Villa Park, CA
  8. 2.0 4km SSE of Yorba Linda, CA
  9. 2.2 8 km E of Yorba Linda, CA
  10. 1.5 11km ENE of North Tustin, CA
  11. 2.2 4km ESE of Gardena, CA
  12. 2.0 26km SW of Laguna Beach, CA
  13. 1.5 1km W of Willowbrook, CA
  14. 1.7 10km ENE of Villa Park, CA
  15. 1.8 3km SE of Rowland Heights, 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.