QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3ml

Earthquake near Buena Park, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Buena Park in the 24 hours to 12:33 pm PST (20:33 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 19 km (12 mi) WSW, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Buena Park

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) north-northeast of Buena Park, CA, at 10:23 pm PDT on 14 July 2023 (05:23 UTC), 11 km deep. 44 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3km NNE of Buena Park, CA

in Buena Park, CA · 42 km (26 mi) ESE of Los Angeles, CA

10:23 pm PDT, Jul 14, 2023 · · 11 km deep · released about 91 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Buena Park Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 31 kmLos Angeles County 42 kmVentura 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
10:23 pm PDT on 14 July 2023 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) north-northeast of Buena Park, CA · earthquakes near Buena Park
Magnitude
M 2.3 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
44 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Orange County, 31 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
Puente Hills blind thrust system, 2 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 1215 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 17 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Buena Park, 3 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: Buena Park 3 km, intensity II · La Mirada 4 km, intensity II · La Habra 6 km, intensity II · Fullerton 6 km, intensity II · South Whittier 8 km, intensity II · Cerritos 8 km, intensity II · Brea 8 km, intensity II · Norwalk 9 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 91 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 170,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 120,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 10× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 91 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 4.5 on 2020-09-19 — about 2,100 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 14 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 29 km S of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 21 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 The 1991 Sierra Madre, California Earthquake · 42 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 The 1990 Upland, California Earthquake · 39 km NE of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 5km S of Chino Hills, CA · 21 km ENE 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 33.8922, -117.9865. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 31 km (19 mi) SE earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 42 km (26 mi) NW earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 118 km (73 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ventura County
San Diego County, CA 148 km (92 mi) SE earthquakes near San Diego County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 2 km NNE of Placentia, CA
  2. 2.5 5 km ESE of Inglewood, CA
  3. 1.6 0 km W of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  4. 1.8 4 km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  5. 1.6 2 km ESE of Home Gardens, CA
  6. 1.6 4 km ESE of Gardena, CA
  7. 1.9 10 km WSW of Newport Beach, CA
  8. 1.6 4 km SSE of Ontario, CA
  9. 1.6 7 km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
  10. 1.8 4 km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
  11. 2.0 3 km NW of Placentia, CA
  12. 2.0 1 km WNW of Huntington Park, CA
  13. 2.1 1 km SSE of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  14. 1.6 5 km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
  15. 1.7 7 km SSE 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.