QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Seal Beach, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Seal Beach in the 24 hours to 5:56 am PST (13:56 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 9 km (6 mi) NW, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Seal Beach

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) west of Seal Beach, CA, at 6:24 am PST on 27 November 2019 (14:24 UTC), 12 km deep. 16 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8km W of Seal Beach, CA

5 km (3 mi) SSW of Long Beach, CA · 38 km (23 mi) SSE of Los Angeles, CA

6:24 am PST, Nov 27, 2019 · · 12 km deep · released about 32 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Seal Beach Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 38 kmLos Angeles County 52 kmVentura County 111 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
6:24 am PST on 27 November 2019 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) west of Seal Beach, CA · earthquakes near Seal Beach
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
16 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Orange County, 38 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Palos Verdes fault, 6 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 2542 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 Seal Beach, 8 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: Long Beach 3 km, intensity II · Seal Beach 8 km, intensity II · Signal Hill 8 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 32 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 470,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 330,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 30× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 32 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 11 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 21 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 37 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.4 5km S of Chino Hills, CA · 45 km ENE of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 2 km SSW of Santa Monica, California · 41 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 7km W of Newport Beach, CA · 21 km SE 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 33.7362, -118.1865. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 38 km (24 mi) E earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 52 km (32 mi) N earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 111 km (69 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 10km WSW of Corona, CA
  2. 1.5 1km NNE of Baldwin Hills, CA
  3. 2.1 12km SSE of San Pedro, CA
  4. 1.5 0km ESE of Redondo Beach, CA
  5. 2.1 1km S of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  6. 2.2 11km SSE of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  7. 2.4 10km SSE of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  8. 1.5 3km W of Highland Park, CA
  9. 1.6 0km S of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  10. 1.6 0km S of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  11. 1.6 1km SE of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  12. 1.6 0km SE of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  13. 3.7 1km S of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  14. 2.1 1km S of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  15. 1.7 14km 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.