QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Laguna Niguel, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Laguna Niguel in the 24 hours to 9:31 am PST (17:31 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 35 km (22 mi) SW, at 1:22 pm PDT on 5 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 126 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Laguna Niguel

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) north-northeast of Laguna Niguel, CA, at 7:08 pm PDT on 12 April 2020 (02:08 UTC), 11 km deep.

USGS: 2km NNE of Laguna Niguel, CA

in Laguna Niguel, CA · 85 km (53 mi) SE of Los Angeles, CA

7:08 pm PDT, Apr 12, 2020 · · 11 km deep · released about 8.4 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Laguna Niguel Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 17 kmLos Angeles County 90 kmSan Diego County 103 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
7:08 pm PDT on 12 April 2020 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) north-northeast of Laguna Niguel, CA · earthquakes near Laguna Niguel
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Orange County, 17 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
San Joaquin Hills thrust, 7 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 2404 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 4 km (2 mi) from the epicentre. In Laguna Niguel, 2 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: Laguna Niguel 2 km, intensity II · Aliso Viejo 4 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 110× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.4 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 9 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 30 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 The 1910 Lake Elsinore, California Earthquake · 33 km ENE of this epicentre
  3. 5.4 5km S of Chino Hills, CA · 46 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 7km W of Newport Beach, CA · 30 km WNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.2 8km ENE of Trabuco Canyon, CA · 25 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 33.5405, -117.6948. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 17 km (10 mi) NNW earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 90 km (56 mi) NW earthquakes near Los Angeles County
San Diego County, CA 103 km (64 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Diego County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 4km NE of Yorba Linda, CA
  2. 1.8 9km WSW of Corona, CA
  3. 2.3 23km SW of Laguna Beach, CA
  4. 1.6 4km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  5. 1.7 24km SW of Laguna Beach, CA
  6. 1.9 23km SSW of Newport Beach, CA
  7. 1.7 5km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
  8. 1.5 23km SSW of Newport Beach, CA
  9. 1.8 22km SW of Laguna Beach, CA
  10. 2.6 4km SSW of Westminster, CA
  11. 1.5 5km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
  12. 1.7 8km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
  13. 1.6 23km SW of Laguna Beach, CA
  14. 2.3 24km SW of Laguna Beach, CA
  15. 1.5 2km ESE of Home Gardens, 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.