QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5ml

Earthquake near Long Beach, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Long Beach in the 24 hours to 6:06 am PST (14:06 UTC). The last one was M 1.7, 10 km (6 mi) SSW, at 3:16 am PDT on 16 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Long Beach

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 25 km (16 mi) south-southwest of Long Beach, CA, at 8:51 pm PST on 6 January 2022 (04:51 UTC), 2.0 km deep. 6 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 19km S of San Pedro, CA

52 km (32 mi) S of Los Angeles, CA · 28 km (17 mi) SSW of Long Beach, CA

8:51 pm PST, Jan 6, 2022 · · 2.0 km deep · released about 160 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Long Beach Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 51 kmLos Angeles County 71 kmVentura County 117 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
8:51 pm PST on 6 January 2022 ()
Where
25 km (16 mi) south-southwest of Long Beach, CA · earthquakes near Long Beach
Magnitude
M 2.5 (ml)
Depth
2.0 km below the surface
Felt
6 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Orange County, 51 km ENE
Nearest mapped fault
San Pedro Basin 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 1706 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 22 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Long Beach, 25 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: Rancho Palos Verdes 21 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 160 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 92,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 65,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 160 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 4.3 on 2021-09-18 — about 480 times the energy of this one.

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

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 30 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 5.3 7km W of Newport Beach, CA · 29 km ENE of this epicentre
  3. 5.1 The 1941 Torrance-Gardena, California Earthquakes (Second Event) · 26 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.0 2km ENE of Westminster, CA · 38 km NE of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 2 km NE of Carson, California · 32 km N 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 33.5622, -118.3107. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 51 km (32 mi) ENE earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 71 km (44 mi) N earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 117 km (72 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 3km SW of Orange, CA
  2. 1.6 7km S of Newport Beach, CA
  3. 1.8 2km W of Lakewood, CA
  4. 1.9 17km SSE of San Pedro, CA
  5. 2.1 4km S of Huntington Beach, CA
  6. 1.9 4km N of Fountain Valley, CA
  7. 1.7 5km WNW of Huntington Beach, CA
  8. 2.3 17km SSE of San Pedro, CA
  9. 1.6 17km SSE of San Pedro, CA
  10. 1.6 0km SSE of Baldwin Hills, CA
  11. 1.5 4km ENE of Hawthorne, CA
  12. 2.0 4km N of Gardena, CA
  13. 1.7 4km ESE of Lennox, CA
  14. 1.7 4km ESE of Lennox, CA
  15. 1.7 3km N of Gardena, 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.