QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 3:36 am PST (11:36 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 2.1 earthquake was recorded 44 km (27 mi) west of Los Angeles, CA, at 2:30 pm PDT on 18 May 2020 (21:30 UTC), 10 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5km SSW of Malibu Beach, CA

28 km (18 mi) W of Los Angeles, CA · 20 km (12 mi) W of Santa Monica, CA

2:30 pm PDT, May 18, 2020 · · 10 km deep · released about 43 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Angeles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 48 kmVentura County 56 kmOrange County 93 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
2:30 pm PDT on 18 May 2020 ()
Where
44 km (27 mi) west of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 48 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 2367 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 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Los Angeles, 44 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, Westlake Village, Hidden Hills.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 43 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 43 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 4.0 on 2020-01-02 — about 790 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 · 30 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 38 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.6 7km NNE of Simi Valley, California · 37 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 2 km SSW of Santa Monica, California · 20 km E of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 The 1973 Point Mugu, California Earthquake · 31 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 33.9900, -118.7143. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 48 km (30 mi) ENE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 56 km (35 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County
Orange County, CA 93 km (58 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 7km NE of Oxnard, CA
  2. 1.9 1km SSE of Sylmar, CA
  3. 1.6 0km SSW of Sylmar, CA
  4. 1.5 1km WNW of San Fernando, CA
  5. 2.3 1km E of Sylmar, CA
  6. 1.9 1km ESE of Sylmar, CA
  7. 1.7 1km NW of San Fernando, CA
  8. 1.5 1km SW of Sylmar, CA
  9. 2.0 0km SSE of Sylmar, CA
  10. 1.9 1km S of Sylmar, CA
  11. 1.8 1km NW of San Fernando, CA
  12. 1.8 1km SSW of Sylmar, CA
  13. 2.5 1km ESE of Sylmar, CA
  14. 1.6 1km WNW of San Fernando, CA
  15. 1.7 0km NNW of San Fernando, 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.