QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7ml

Earthquake near Camp Pendleton South, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Camp Pendleton South in the 24 hours to 12:11 pm PST (20:11 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 52 km (32 mi) W, at 1:22 pm PDT on 5 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 126 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Camp Pendleton South

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) west of Camp Pendleton South, CA, at 9:34 am PDT on 6 April 2020 (16:34 UTC), 14 km deep. 8 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 16km W of Camp Pendleton South, CA

23 km (14 mi) W of Oceanside, CA · 118 km (73 mi) SE of Los Angeles, CA

9:34 am PDT, Apr 6, 2020 · · 14 km deep · released about 380 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Camp Pendleton South Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 53 kmSan Diego County 76 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
9:34 am PDT on 6 April 2020 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) west of Camp Pendleton South, CA · earthquakes near Camp Pendleton South
Magnitude
M 2.7 (ml)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
8 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Orange County, 53 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
San Onofre fault, 2 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 2336 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 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In Camp Pendleton South, 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: Oceanside 17 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 380 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 40,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 29,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 380 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.5 The 1986 Oceanside, California Earthquake · 41 km SW 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 33.2318, -117.5563. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 53 km (33 mi) NNW earthquakes near Orange County
San Diego County, CA 76 km (47 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Diego County
Los Angeles County, CA 126 km (78 mi) NNW earthquakes near Los Angeles County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 38km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  2. 2.0 38km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  3. 1.8 28km SW of Dana Point, CA
  4. 2.5 22km W of La Jolla, CA
  5. 1.5 38km W of La Jolla, CA
  6. 1.9 23km WSW of Dana Point, CA
  7. 1.7 16km S of San Clemente, CA
  8. 1.8 39km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  9. 1.6 29km WSW of Camp Pendleton South, CA
  10. 2.0 30km SW of Dana Point, CA
  11. 1.7 30km SW of Dana Point, CA
  12. 2.1 39km WSW of Encinitas, CA
  13. 1.9 13km W of Carlsbad, CA
  14. 2.7 43km WSW of Encinitas, CA
  15. 1.8 2km WNW of Murrieta, 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.