QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3ml

Earthquake near Orange, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Orange in the 24 hours to 7:47 am PST (15:47 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 31 km (19 mi) W, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Orange

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) east of Orange, CA, at 4:18 pm PST on 14 December 2021 (00:18 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 145 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2km SE of Orange, CA

in Orange, CA · 60 km (37 mi) ESE of Los Angeles, CA

4:18 pm PST, Dec 14, 2021 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 98 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Orange Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 14 kmLos Angeles County 61 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
4:18 pm PST on 14 December 2021 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) east of Orange, CA · earthquakes near Orange
Magnitude
M 2.3 (ml)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
145 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Orange County, 14 km SSE
Nearest mapped fault
San Joaquin Hills thrust, 12 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 1790 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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Orange, 3 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Orange 3 km, intensity III · North Tustin 4 km, intensity III · Tustin 5 km, intensity III · Santa Ana 7 km, intensity II · Anaheim 10 km, intensity II · Placentia 10 km, intensity II · Yorba Linda 11 km, intensity II · Garden Grove 11 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 98 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 150,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 110,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 9.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 98 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 2,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 15 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 24 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 The 1910 Lake Elsinore, California Earthquake · 40 km ESE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 38 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 The 1990 Upland, California Earthquake · 41 km NNE of this epicentre
  5. 5.4 5km S of Chino Hills, CA · 18 km NNE 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 33.7920, -117.8225. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 14 km (8 mi) SSE earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 61 km (38 mi) NW earthquakes near Los Angeles County
San Diego County, CA 129 km (80 mi) SE earthquakes near San Diego County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 5km SSE of San Pedro, CA
  2. 1.6 5km SSE of San Pedro, CA
  3. 1.8 8km N of Glendora, CA
  4. 2.1 3km NE of Gardena, CA
  5. 1.6 2km NNW of Fontana, CA
  6. 1.5 2km E of Home Gardens, CA
  7. 1.5 4km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  8. 1.7 6km WNW of Fontana, CA
  9. 3.6 13km NE of Trabuco Canyon, CA
  10. 1.7 4km NNW of Fontana, CA
  11. 2.6 4km NNW of Fontana, CA
  12. 2.0 4km NW of Fontana, CA
  13. 3.3 1km SE of South Gate, CA
  14. 2.0 4km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  15. 1.5 4km SSE of Rancho Cucamonga, 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.