QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3ml

Earthquake near Ojai, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Ojai in the 24 hours to 7:59 am PST (15:59 UTC). The last one was M 1.5, 7 km (5 mi) S, at 2:56 am PST on 6 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ojai

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) southeast of Ojai, CA, at 11:43 am PDT on 19 August 2023 (18:43 UTC), 2.5 km deep.

USGS: 5 km SE of Ojai, CA

85 km (53 mi) WNW of Los Angeles, CA · 18 km (11 mi) NNE of San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA

11:43 am PDT, Aug 19, 2023 · · 2.5 km deep · released about 91 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ventura County 9 kmSanta Barbara County 78 kmLos Angeles County 89 kmKern County 111 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
11:43 am PDT on 19 August 2023 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) southeast of Ojai, CA · earthquakes near Ojai
Magnitude
M 2.3 (ml)
Depth
2.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Ventura County, 9 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
Mission Ridge fault system, 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 1180 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 Ojai, 5 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Ojai 5 km, intensity III · Santa Paula 14 km, intensity II · Ventura 18 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 4.1 on 2016-03-12 — about 520 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 11 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.6 7km NNE of Simi Valley, California · 47 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 Southwest of Tejon Pass, California · 36 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 10 km NE of Toro Canyon, California · 29 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 The 1941 Santa Barbara, California Earthquake · 35 km WSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.2 9 km SW of Channel Islands Beach, California · 37 km SSW 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 34.4198, -119.1948. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ventura County, CA 9 km (5 mi) SE earthquakes near Ventura County
Santa Barbara County, CA 78 km (49 mi) W earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
Los Angeles County, CA 89 km (55 mi) ESE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Kern County, CA 111 km (69 mi) NNE earthquakes near Kern County
San Luis Obispo County, CA 157 km (98 mi) NW earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 8 km ESE of Ojai, CA
  2. 1.7 6 km SE of Ojai, CA
  3. 1.7 5 km SE of Ojai, CA
  4. 2.1 5 km SE of Ojai, CA
  5. 2.0 6 km ESE of Ojai, CA
  6. 2.0 7 km ESE of Ojai, CA
  7. 1.7 6 km SE of Ojai, CA
  8. 1.8 6 km SE of Ojai, CA
  9. 2.1 6 km ESE of Ojai, CA
  10. 2.8 5 km ESE of Ojai, CA
  11. 3.9 6 km SE of Ojai, CA
  12. 2.2 6 km SE of Ojai, CA
  13. 2.7 6 km ESE of Ojai, CA
  14. 1.8 6 km ESE of Ojai, CA
  15. 1.7 5 km SE of Ojai, 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.