QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.6ml

Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 12:43 pm PST (20:43 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 3.6 earthquake was recorded 35 km (22 mi) northwest of Los Angeles, CA, at 11:41 pm PST on 21 January 2020 (07:41 UTC), 7.7 km deep. 9,560 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4km NNE of Granada Hills, CA

13 km (8 mi) S of Santa Clarita, CA · 32 km (20 mi) NNW of Los Angeles, CA

11:41 pm PST, Jan 21, 2020 · · 7.7 km deep · released about 3.8 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Angeles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 24 kmVentura County 60 kmOrange County 95 kmKern County 118 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
11:41 pm PST on 21 January 2020 ()
Where
35 km (22 mi) northwest of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
Magnitude
M 3.6 (ml)
Depth
7.7 km below the surface
Felt
9,560 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 24 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Northridge blind thrust, 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 759 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 69 km (43 mi) from the epicentre. In Los Angeles, 35 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: Santa Clarita 11 km, intensity III · Valencia 20 km, intensity III · Burbank 21 km, intensity III · Simi Valley 27 km, intensity III · Glendale 28 km, intensity III · Agoura 29 km, intensity II · Piru 31 km, intensity II · Santa Monica 31 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 3.8 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 45,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.6 about 3.8 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 7.9× more

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 22 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 11 km SSW of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 17 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 46 km SE of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 3 km SSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 17 km NE 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 34.3005, -118.4855. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 24 km (15 mi) ESE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 60 km (37 mi) W earthquakes near Ventura County
Orange County, CA 95 km (59 mi) SE earthquakes near Orange County
Kern County, CA 118 km (74 mi) N earthquakes near Kern County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 2 km NE of Silver Lake, CA
  2. 2.1 2km E of Lennox, CA
  3. 1.9 2km ESE of Lennox, CA
  4. 1.6 1km NNE of Lennox, CA
  5. 1.6 1km NNE of Lennox, CA
  6. 2.1 15 km N of Castaic, CA
  7. 1.9 3 km E of Lennox, CA
  8. 2.0 0km SSW of South El Monte, CA
  9. 1.6 14km N of Castaic, CA
  10. 2.5 7km WNW of Lake Hughes, CA
  11. 1.9 2km NNE of Gardena, CA
  12. 2.0 4km W of Culver City, CA
  13. 1.7 3km NNE of Montebello, CA
  14. 1.9 6km W of Malibu, CA
  15. 1.5 1km NNE of Baldwin Hills, 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.