Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 4.0mw
Earthquake near Ojai, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Ojai in the 24 hours to 3:22 am PST (11:22 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 4.0 earthquake was recorded 7 km (5 mi) east-southeast of Ojai, CA, at 1:12 pm PDT on 3 November 2023 (20:12 UTC), 6.9 km deep. 789 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 7 km ESE of Ojai, CA
83 km (51 mi) WNW of Los Angeles, CA · 19 km (12 mi) NNE of San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA
- When
- 1:12 pm PDT on 3 November 2023 ()
- Where
- 7 km (5 mi) east-southeast of Ojai, CA · earthquakes near Ojai
- Magnitude
- M 4.0 (mw)
- Depth
- 6.9 km below the surface
- Felt
- 789 reports · strongest reported intensity V
- Measured shaking
- intensity V (ShakeMap)
- USGS impact alert
- green
- Nearest
- Ventura County, 8 km SSE
- 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 752 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Ojai, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Ojai, CA. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.
At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 98 km (61 mi) from the epicentre. In Ojai, 7 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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 7 km, intensity IV · Santa Paula 13 km, intensity IV · Ventura 20 km, intensity III · Oxnard 25 km, intensity III · Camarillo 26 km, intensity III · Moorpark 30 km, intensity III · Carpinteria 32 km, intensity III · Piru 34 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 16 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.0 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 10,000× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 470× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 330× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 4.0 about 16 tons of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 34× more
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 5.1 on 2023-08-20 — about 39 times the energy of this one.
Before 2016, the USGS record lists 10 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 5.6 7km NNE of Simi Valley, California · 45 km ESE of this epicentre
- 5.5 Southwest of Tejon Pass, California · 35 km NNE of this epicentre
- 5.5 10 km NE of Toro Canyon, California · 32 km WNW of this epicentre
- 5.5 The 1941 Santa Barbara, California Earthquake · 38 km WSW of this epicentre
- 5.2 9 km SW of Channel Islands Beach, California · 38 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 34.4215, -119.1697. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ventura County, CA | 8 km (5 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Ventura County |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 81 km (50 mi) | W | earthquakes near Santa Barbara County |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 87 km (54 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Los Angeles County |
| Kern County, CA | 110 km (69 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Kern County |
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 159 km (99 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
59 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.6 11 km NW of Malibu, CA
- 1.9 11 km WNW of Malibu, CA
- 1.7 12 km NW of Malibu, CA
- 1.5 10 km WNW of Malibu, CA
- 1.9 9 km NW of Malibu, CA
- 2.1 11 km WNW of Malibu, CA
- 1.6 11 km WNW of Malibu, CA
- 3.1 11 km WNW of Malibu, CA
- 1.5 11 km WNW of Malibu, CA
- 1.5 10 km WNW of Malibu, CA
- 2.6 10 km WNW of Malibu, CA
- 2.2 11 km NW of Malibu, CA
- 1.8 8 km WNW of Malibu, CA
- 1.8 12 km WNW of Malibu, CA
- 2.0 10 km WNW of Malibu, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.