QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Rancho Palos Verdes in the 24 hours to 2:45 pm PST (22:45 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 19 km (12 mi) ENE, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Rancho Palos Verdes

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 20 km (13 mi) south-southwest of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, at 1:54 am PST on 19 December 2020 (09:54 UTC), 5.8 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 20km SSW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

50 km (31 mi) S of Los Angeles, CA · 30 km (19 mi) SSW of Torrance, CA

1:54 am PST, Dec 19, 2020 · · 5.8 km deep · released about 9.3 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Rancho Palos Verdes Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 65 kmLos Angeles County 72 kmVentura County 107 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
1:54 am PST on 19 December 2020 ()
Where
20 km (13 mi) south-southwest of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA · earthquakes near Rancho Palos Verdes
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
5.8 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Orange County, 65 km E
Nearest mapped fault
San Pedro Basin 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 2152 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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Rancho Palos Verdes, 20 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: Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Palos Verdes Estates, Lomita, Avalon.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 9.3 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 100× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 9.3 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 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 44 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.3 2 km SSW of Santa Monica, California · 47 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.3 7km W of Newport Beach, CA · 44 km E of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 13km S of Malibu Beach, CA · 43 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 The 1941 Torrance-Gardena, California Earthquakes (Second Event) · 31 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 33.5748, -118.4672. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 65 km (40 mi) E earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 72 km (45 mi) NNE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 107 km (66 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura 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. 2.0 1km SE of Lennox, CA
  2. 1.9 1km SW of Inglewood, CA
  3. 1.7 0km NW of Lennox, CA
  4. 1.6 1km NNE of Lennox, CA
  5. 1.6 1km SW of Inglewood, CA
  6. 2.0 1km WSW of Inglewood, CA
  7. 2.0 1km E of Lennox, CA
  8. 1.8 1km NNE of Lennox, CA
  9. 1.5 1km NW of Inglewood, CA
  10. 1.6 1km WSW of Inglewood, CA
  11. 2.3 1km ENE of Lennox, CA
  12. 1.8 1km S of Inglewood, CA
  13. 1.6 2km ENE of Lennox, CA
  14. 2.4 1km SSE of Inglewood, CA
  15. 2.3 2km E of Lennox, 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.