QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Long Beach, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Long Beach in the 24 hours to 4:16 am PST (12:16 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 2.1 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) northeast of Long Beach, CA, at 7:07 am PDT on 6 August 2022 (14:07 UTC), 14 km deep. 12 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 1km SSE of Long Beach, CA

in Long Beach, CA · 35 km (22 mi) SE of Los Angeles, CA

7:07 am PDT, Aug 6, 2022 · · 14 km deep · released about 43 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 37 kmLos Angeles County 46 kmVentura County 110 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
7:07 am PDT on 6 August 2022 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) northeast of Long Beach, CA · earthquakes near Long Beach
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
12 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Orange County, 37 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Newport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon fault, 11 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 1558 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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Long Beach, 5 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: Signal Hill in town, intensity II · Long Beach 5 km, intensity II · Lakewood 7 km, intensity II · Seal Beach 7 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 43 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 43 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 4,600 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 11 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 23 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 30 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.4 5km S of Chino Hills, CA · 40 km ENE of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 2 km SSW of Santa Monica, California · 40 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 7km W of Newport Beach, CA · 23 km SE 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 33.7937, -118.1508. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 37 km (23 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 46 km (29 mi) NNW earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 110 km (68 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 3km SW of Yorba Linda, CA
  2. 1.6 2km ENE of La Habra, CA
  3. 2.3 2km NNE of Sherman Oaks, CA
  4. 1.7 4km NW of Diamond Bar, CA
  5. 2.1 18km S of San Pedro, CA
  6. 1.8 22km SSW of Newport Beach, CA
  7. 1.9 10km WSW of Corona, CA
  8. 1.5 4km NNW of Diamond Bar, CA
  9. 1.7 12km SSW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  10. 1.9 10km WSW of Corona, CA
  11. 1.8 22km SSE of San Pedro, CA
  12. 2.0 4km WSW of Marina del Rey, CA
  13. 2.0 22km SSW of Seal Beach, CA
  14. 1.7 9km S of San Pedro, CA
  15. 2.6 2km S of Placentia, 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.