QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2ml

Earthquake near Gardena, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Gardena in the 24 hours to 6:53 am PST (14:53 UTC). The last one was M 1.8, 2 km (1 mi) ENE, at 2:31 pm PDT on 31 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Gardena

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded in Gardena, CA, at 8:32 pm PDT on 1 July 2021 (03:32 UTC), 11 km deep. 12 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2km ENE of Gardena, CA

18 km (11 mi) SE of Los Angeles, CA · in Gardena, CA

8:32 pm PDT, Jul 1, 2021 · · 11 km deep · released about 52 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Gardena Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 34 kmOrange County 53 kmVentura County 93 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
8:32 pm PDT on 1 July 2021 ()
Where
in Gardena, CA · earthquakes near Gardena
Magnitude
M 2.2 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
12 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 34 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Newport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon fault, 5 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 1881 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 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. 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: Gardena in town, intensity II · Willowbrook 4 km, intensity II · Westmont 5 km, intensity II · Lawndale 6 km, intensity II · Hawthorne 6 km, intensity II · Compton 6 km, intensity II · Carson 7 km, intensity II · Torrance 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 52 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 290,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 200,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 18× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 52 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 3,700 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 17 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 42 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 40 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 27 km NE of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 46 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 The 1991 Sierra Madre, California Earthquake · 50 km NNE 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 33.8938, -118.2898. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 34 km (21 mi) N earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Orange County, CA 53 km (33 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orange County
Ventura County, CA 93 km (58 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 2km E of Carson, CA
  2. 2.3 0km SSE of San Fernando, CA
  3. 2.1 19km NNE of Avalon, CA
  4. 1.5 2km SSW of San Dimas, CA
  5. 1.8 7km ESE of San Pedro, CA
  6. 1.7 7km SE of San Pedro, CA
  7. 2.2 4km W of Pomona, CA
  8. 1.6 4km NNE of Diamond Bar, CA
  9. 1.6 1km SE of Sylmar, CA
  10. 1.8 4km WSW of East Los Angeles, CA
  11. 1.6 2km SSE of Chatsworth, CA
  12. 2.1 11km SSW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  13. 1.6 2km SSW of Sherman Oaks, CA
  14. 1.6 2km ESE of Anaheim, CA
  15. 1.6 2km ESE of Anaheim, 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.