QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 4:03 am PST (12:03 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 30 km (19 mi) S, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Los Angeles

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 22 km (14 mi) west-northwest of Los Angeles, CA, at 12:58 am PDT on 5 July 2021 (07:58 UTC), 2.7 km deep. 111 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 1km SW of Sherman Oaks, CA

15 km (9 mi) NNW of Los Angeles, CA · 13 km (8 mi) WSW of Burbank, CA

12:58 am PDT, Jul 5, 2021 · · 2.7 km deep · released about 19 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Angeles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 19 kmVentura County 67 kmOrange County 81 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
12:58 am PDT on 5 July 2021 ()
Where
22 km (14 mi) west-northwest of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
2.7 km below the surface
Felt
111 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 19 km ENE
Nearest mapped fault
Hollywood fault, 8 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 1954 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. In Los Angeles, 22 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: Burbank 14 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 19 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 790,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 560,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 50× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 19 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 10,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 24 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 11 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 31 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 36 km ESE of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 15 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 31 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 34.1453, -118.4545. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 19 km (12 mi) ENE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 67 km (41 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ventura County
Orange County, CA 81 km (51 mi) SE earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.8 15km SE of Malibu, CA
  2. 2.2 10km NNE of Bradbury, CA
  3. 1.6 1km ESE of Baldwin Hills, CA
  4. 1.7 2km E of Carson, CA
  5. 2.3 0km SSE of San Fernando, CA
  6. 1.6 3km WNW of Sylmar, CA
  7. 1.6 1km SE of Sylmar, CA
  8. 1.8 4km WSW of East Los Angeles, CA
  9. 1.6 2km SSE of Chatsworth, CA
  10. 2.5 8km NNW of Malibu, CA
  11. 1.6 2km SSW of Sherman Oaks, CA
  12. 1.6 3km N of Sylmar, CA
  13. 1.6 2km ESE of Lawndale, CA
  14. 2.6 14km W of Malibu, CA
  15. 2.0 3km WSW of East Los Angeles, 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.