QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Santa Clarita, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Santa Clarita in the 24 hours to 4:50 am PST (12:50 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 16 km (10 mi) SSW, at 9:45 am PST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 26 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Santa Clarita

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) southeast of Santa Clarita, CA, at 9:42 pm PDT on 2 May 2021 (04:42 UTC), 5.2 km deep.

USGS: 5km NNW of Sylmar, CA

8 km (5 mi) SSE of Santa Clarita, CA · 37 km (23 mi) N of Los Angeles, CA

9:42 pm PDT, May 2, 2021 · · 5.2 km deep · released about 7.3 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Santa Clarita Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 26 kmVentura County 60 kmOrange County 98 kmKern County 114 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
9:42 pm PDT on 2 May 2021 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) southeast of Santa Clarita, CA · earthquakes near Santa Clarita
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
5.2 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 26 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
Northridge blind thrust, under 1 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 2018 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 Santa Clarita, 8 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 8 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.3 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 2,100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,500,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.3 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.5 on 2020-09-19 — about 27,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 21 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 16 km SSW of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 12 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 48 km SE of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 8 km SSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 12 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 34.3447, -118.4745. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 26 km (16 mi) SE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 60 km (38 mi) W earthquakes near Ventura County
Orange County, CA 98 km (61 mi) SE earthquakes near Orange County
Kern County, CA 114 km (71 mi) NNW earthquakes near Kern 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. 1.8 4km WSW of East Los Angeles, CA
  2. 1.6 2km SSE of Chatsworth, CA
  3. 2.5 8km NNW of Malibu, CA
  4. 1.6 2km SSW of Sherman Oaks, CA
  5. 1.6 3km N of Sylmar, CA
  6. 2.0 3km WSW of East Los Angeles, CA
  7. 3.6 3km WSW of East Los Angeles, CA
  8. 1.8 12km WSW of Lake Hughes, CA
  9. 1.8 12km WSW of Lake Hughes, CA
  10. 1.7 2km SE of Simi Valley, CA
  11. 2.4 1km NW of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  12. 1.8 1km S of Commerce, CA
  13. 1.8 1km SE of Sylmar, CA
  14. 1.5 1km SE of Sylmar, CA
  15. 1.7 7km N of Piru, 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.