QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6ml

Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 4:03 am PST (12:03 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 2.6 earthquake was recorded 37 km (23 mi) west-northwest of Los Angeles, CA, at 7:35 am PDT on 12 September 2022 (14:35 UTC), 6.1 km deep. 233 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 1km NE of Canoga Park, CA

27 km (17 mi) NW of Los Angeles, CA · 15 km (10 mi) ESE of Simi Valley, CA

7:35 am PDT, Sep 12, 2022 · · 6.1 km deep · released about 240 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Angeles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 31 kmVentura County 52 kmOrange County 96 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
7:35 am PDT on 12 September 2022 ()
Where
37 km (23 mi) west-northwest of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
Magnitude
M 2.6 (ml)
Depth
6.1 km below the surface
Felt
233 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 31 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Simi-Santa Rosa 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 1434 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 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Los Angeles, 37 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 15 km, intensity II · Simi Valley 18 km, intensity II · Santa Clarita 21 km, intensity II · Thousand Oaks 22 km, intensity II · Santa Monica 23 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 240 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 240 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 230 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 22 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 6 km E of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 31 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 12 km NE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 31 km NE of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 31 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 34.2053, -118.5978. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 31 km (19 mi) E earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 52 km (32 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ventura County
Orange County, CA 96 km (60 mi) SE earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 11km E of Santa Clarita, CA
  2. 1.8 3km SE of Highland Park, CA
  3. 2.4 16km S of Malibu Beach, CA
  4. 1.8 1km WNW of Gardena, CA
  5. 1.9 1km E of Baldwin Hills, CA
  6. 2.1 17km W of Manhattan Beach, CA
  7. 2.0 2km NNE of Sherman Oaks, CA
  8. 1.8 2km ESE of Granada Hills, CA
  9. 1.5 2km NNW of Rolling Hills Estates, CA
  10. 2.1 2km NNW of Rolling Hills Estates, CA
  11. 2.0 9km WNW of Fillmore, CA
  12. 1.7 13km WNW of Malibu, CA
  13. 1.5 7km W of Fillmore, CA
  14. 2.0 12km WNW of Malibu, CA
  15. 1.6 5km W of Chatsworth, 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.