QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9ml

Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 1:06 pm PST (21:06 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 2.9 earthquake was recorded 41 km (26 mi) west-southwest of Los Angeles, CA, at 7:03 am PDT on 31 May 2021 (14:03 UTC), 14 km deep. 109 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 11km S of Malibu Beach, CA

25 km (16 mi) WSW of Los Angeles, CA · 18 km (11 mi) WSW of Santa Monica, CA

7:03 am PDT, May 31, 2021 · · 14 km deep · released about 650 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Angeles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 47 kmVentura County 64 kmOrange County 87 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
7:03 am PDT on 31 May 2021 ()
Where
41 km (26 mi) west-southwest of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
Magnitude
M 2.9 (ml)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
109 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Measured shaking
intensity III (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 47 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Palos Verdes fault, 6 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 1923 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 28 km (17 mi) from the epicentre. In Los Angeles, 41 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: Santa Monica 19 km, intensity II · Agoura 24 km, intensity II · Manhattan Beach 24 km, intensity II · Redondo Beach 28 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 650 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 23,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 650 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 83 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 33 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 41 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.6 7km NNE of Simi Valley, California · 43 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 2 km SSW of Santa Monica, California · 17 km ENE of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 The 1973 Point Mugu, California Earthquake · 36 km W 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 33.9370, -118.6677. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 47 km (29 mi) NE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 64 km (39 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County
Orange County, CA 87 km (54 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 2km SSE of Chatsworth, CA
  2. 2.5 8km NNW of Malibu, CA
  3. 2.1 11km SSW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  4. 1.6 2km SSW of Sherman Oaks, CA
  5. 1.6 3km N of Sylmar, CA
  6. 1.6 2km ESE of Lawndale, CA
  7. 2.6 14km W of Malibu, CA
  8. 2.0 3km WSW of East Los Angeles, CA
  9. 3.6 3km WSW of East Los Angeles, CA
  10. 1.7 13km WNW of Malibu, CA
  11. 1.7 2km SE of Simi Valley, CA
  12. 2.4 1km NW of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  13. 1.8 1km S of Commerce, CA
  14. 1.8 1km SE of Sylmar, CA
  15. 1.5 1km SE of Sylmar, 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.