QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4ml

Earthquake near Malibu, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Malibu in the 24 hours to 4:33 pm PST (00:33 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 8 km (5 mi) W, at 4:53 am PDT on 16 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Malibu

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 49 km (31 mi) south-southwest of Malibu, CA, at 10:26 pm PST on 10 February 2020 (06:26 UTC), 5.8 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 18km N of Santa Barbara Is., CA

72 km (44 mi) SW of Los Angeles, CA

10:26 pm PST, Feb 10, 2020 · · 5.8 km deep · released about 100 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Malibu Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ventura County 81 kmLos Angeles County 95 kmOrange County 116 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
10:26 pm PST on 10 February 2020 ()
Where
49 km (31 mi) south-southwest of Malibu, CA · earthquakes near Malibu
Magnitude
M 2.4 (ml)
Depth
5.8 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Ventura County, 81 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Santa Cruz fault, 3 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 2466 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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Malibu, 49 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 100 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 150,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 110,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 9.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 100 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 330 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.5 11km NNW of Santa Barbara Is., CA · 12 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 5.3 The 1973 Point Mugu, California Earthquake · 38 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 13km S of Malibu Beach, CA · 45 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 33.6368, -119.0345. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ventura County, CA 81 km (50 mi) N earthquakes near Ventura County
Los Angeles County, CA 95 km (59 mi) NE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Orange County, CA 116 km (72 mi) E earthquakes near Orange County
Santa Barbara County, CA 136 km (85 mi) NW earthquakes near Santa Barbara County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 6km WSW of Malibu Beach, CA
  2. 1.5 18km S of Malibu Beach, CA
  3. 2.3 22km SSE of Santa Cruz Is. (E end), CA
  4. 1.7 16km S of Malibu Beach, CA
  5. 1.9 19km S of Camarillo, CA
  6. 1.8 8km NW of Malibu, CA
  7. 2.1 20km SSE of Santa Cruz Is. (E end), CA
  8. 1.7 7km WSW of Malibu, CA
  9. 1.5 19km S of Malibu Beach, CA
  10. 1.8 15km WNW of Malibu, CA
  11. 1.8 1km ESE of Malibu, CA
  12. 2.2 2km NE of Malibu, CA
  13. 1.5 19km S of Las Flores, CA
  14. 1.9 3km SSE of Malibu, CA
  15. 2.4 22km WSW of Manhattan Beach, 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.