QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8ml

Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 4:25 am PST (12:25 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 2.8 earthquake was recorded 40 km (25 mi) west of Los Angeles, CA, at 9:37 am PDT on 6 September 2021 (16:37 UTC), 12 km deep. 17 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5km SSE of Malibu Beach, CA

25 km (15 mi) W of Los Angeles, CA · 17 km (10 mi) W of Santa Monica, CA

9:37 am PDT, Sep 6, 2021 · · 12 km deep · released about 480 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Angeles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 45 kmVentura County 59 kmOrange County 90 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
9:37 am PDT on 6 September 2021 ()
Where
40 km (25 mi) west of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
Magnitude
M 2.8 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
17 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 45 km ENE
Nearest mapped fault
Santa Monica fault, 2 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 1821 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 24 km (15 mi) from the epicentre. In Los Angeles, 40 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 17 km, intensity II · Agoura 18 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 480 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 32,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 22,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 480 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 110 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 17 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 28 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 36 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.6 7km NNE of Simi Valley, California · 38 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 2 km SSW of Santa Monica, California · 16 km E of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 The 1973 Point Mugu, California Earthquake · 35 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 33.9860, -118.6748. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 45 km (28 mi) ENE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 59 km (37 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County
Orange County, CA 90 km (56 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orange 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. 2.5 3km SE of Carson, CA
  2. 1.5 2km SE of Carson, CA
  3. 1.8 4km ESE of Carson, CA
  4. 1.5 0km SE of Carson, CA
  5. 2.8 3km SSE of Carson, CA
  6. 1.8 2km WNW of Marina del Rey, CA
  7. 1.6 2km SE of Carson, CA
  8. 1.7 2km ESE of Carson, CA
  9. 2.2 3km SE of Carson, CA
  10. 2.0 3km SE of Carson, CA
  11. 2.1 2km SE of Carson, CA
  12. 2.3 15km SE of Malibu, CA
  13. 1.9 14km SE of Malibu, CA
  14. 2.8 15km SE of Malibu, CA
  15. 1.6 1km ESE of Baldwin Hills, 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.