QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Topanga, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Topanga in the 24 hours to 12:30 pm PST (20:30 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 18 km (11 mi) N, at 9:45 am PST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 26 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Topanga

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) north-northwest of Topanga, CA, at 12:22 am PDT on 24 March 2022 (07:22 UTC), 4.8 km deep. 10 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4km N of Topanga, CA

22 km (14 mi) WNW of Los Angeles, CA · 17 km (10 mi) NW of Santa Monica, CA

12:22 am PDT, Mar 24, 2022 · · 4.8 km deep · released about 14 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 33 kmVentura County 54 kmOrange County 92 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
12:22 am PDT on 24 March 2022 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) north-northwest of Topanga, CA · earthquakes near Topanga
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
4.8 km below the surface
Felt
10 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 33 km ENE
Nearest mapped fault
Santa Monica fault, 10 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 1690 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Topanga, 4 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: Agoura 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 14 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 760,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 68× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 14 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 14,000 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 · 12 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 39 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 50 km E of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 20 km NNE of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 39 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 34.1268, -118.6117. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 33 km (21 mi) ENE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 54 km (34 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ventura County
Orange County, CA 92 km (57 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 13km W of Palos Verdes Estates, CA
  2. 2.3 12km WSW of Manhattan Beach, CA
  3. 2.2 12km WSW of Manhattan Beach, CA
  4. 2.3 1km S of View Park-Windsor Hills, CA
  5. 2.0 11km SW of Marina del Rey, CA
  6. 1.5 1km NNE of Maywood, CA
  7. 1.7 2km E of Carson, CA
  8. 1.9 17km W of Malibu, CA
  9. 1.6 2km SSE of Granada Hills, CA
  10. 1.8 4km ESE of Gardena, CA
  11. 1.5 2km SSW of Culver City, CA
  12. 1.8 2km SSW of Culver City, CA
  13. 1.8 6km WSW of Valencia, CA
  14. 1.9 6km WSW of Valencia, CA
  15. 2.5 2km N of Manhattan Beach, 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.