QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 8:20 am PST (16:20 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 1.6 earthquake was recorded 38 km (24 mi) west-northwest of Los Angeles, CA, at 2:31 pm PDT on 4 November 2021 (21:31 UTC), 4.7 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2km SSE of Chatsworth, CA

29 km (18 mi) NW of Los Angeles, CA · 15 km (9 mi) ESE of Simi Valley, CA

2:31 pm PDT, Nov 4, 2021 · · 4.7 km deep · released about 6.6 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Angeles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 31 kmVentura County 51 kmOrange County 98 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
2:31 pm PDT on 4 November 2021 ()
Where
38 km (24 mi) west-northwest of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
4.7 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 31 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Simi-Santa Rosa fault, 7 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 1833 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 Los Angeles, 38 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Hidden Hills, Topanga, Oak Park, Agoura, Stevenson Ranch, Simi Valley.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.6 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 2,300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 140× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 6.6 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 4.2 on 2020-07-30 — about 8,200 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 20 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 6 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 29 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 10 km ENE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 29 km NE of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 29 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 34.2348, -118.5953. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 31 km (19 mi) E earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 51 km (32 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ventura County
Orange County, CA 98 km (61 mi) SE earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 2km WSW of Silver Lake, CA
  2. 1.5 0km SSW of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  3. 2.1 8km SW of Camarillo, CA
  4. 1.6 2km NW of Marina del Rey, CA
  5. 2.1 1km WSW of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  6. 3.3 1km SE of South Gate, CA
  7. 1.6 9km SE of Piru, CA
  8. 2.3 8km SE of Piru, CA
  9. 1.7 9km SE of Piru, CA
  10. 1.6 6km SE of Piru, CA
  11. 1.7 10km NNW of Piru, CA
  12. 1.5 1km E of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  13. 1.9 8km NW of Malibu, CA
  14. 1.6 2km W of Inglewood, CA
  15. 1.7 4km SSW of Moorpark, 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.