QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near San Clemente, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in San Clemente in the 24 hours to 5:18 am PST (13:18 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 35 km (21 mi) WSW, at 1:22 pm PDT on 5 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 126 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near San Clemente

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) south of San Clemente, CA, at 5:30 am PST on 5 January 2022 (13:30 UTC), 11 km deep.

USGS: 16km S of San Clemente, CA

18 km (11 mi) S of San Clemente, CA · 111 km (69 mi) SE of Los Angeles, CA

5:30 am PST, Jan 5, 2022 · · 11 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near San Clemente Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 46 kmSan Diego County 82 kmLos Angeles County 118 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
5:30 am PST on 5 January 2022 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) south of San Clemente, CA · earthquakes near San Clemente
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Orange County, 46 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Newport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon fault, 1 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 1772 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 5 km (3 mi) from the epicentre. In San Clemente, 16 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Camp Pendleton South, Dana Point, Oceanside, San Juan Capistrano, Camp Pendleton North, Carlsbad.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 970,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 86× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.0 The 1910 Lake Elsinore, California Earthquake · 49 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 The 1986 Oceanside, California Earthquake · 44 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 8km ENE of Trabuco Canyon, CA · 46 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.0 Near Lake Elsinore, California · 49 km NNE of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 Near Lake Elsinore, California · 49 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 33.2870, -117.5942. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 46 km (29 mi) NNW earthquakes near Orange County
San Diego County, CA 82 km (51 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Diego County
Los Angeles County, CA 118 km (74 mi) NNW earthquakes near Los Angeles County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 3km N of Murrieta, CA
  2. 1.6 24km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  3. 1.8 4km NNW of San Joaquin Hills, CA
  4. 1.7 44km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  5. 1.6 26km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  6. 1.9 9km SSW of Wildomar, CA
  7. 1.8 29km SSW of Dana Point, CA
  8. 2.0 4km SW of Newport Beach, CA
  9. 1.8 3km SSW of Newport Beach, CA
  10. 1.8 3km SW of Newport Beach, CA
  11. 1.6 9km SSE of San Clemente, CA
  12. 1.8 22km SSW of Newport Beach, CA
  13. 1.6 2km SSE of Dana Point, CA
  14. 2.2 28km E of Avalon, CA
  15. 2.3 42km WSW of Encinitas, 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.