QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2ml

Earthquake near Avalon, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Avalon in the 24 hours to 3:07 am PST (11:07 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 38 km (23 mi) ESE, at 1:22 pm PDT on 5 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 126 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Avalon

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 28 km (18 mi) east of Avalon, CA, at 6:43 pm PST on 14 December 2022 (02:43 UTC), 2.2 km deep.

USGS: 28km E of Avalon, CA

81 km (50 mi) SSE of Los Angeles, CA · 28 km (18 mi) SSW of Newport Beach, CA

6:43 pm PST, Dec 14, 2022 · · 2.2 km deep · released about 56 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Avalon Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 41 kmLos Angeles County 95 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
6:43 pm PST on 14 December 2022 ()
Where
28 km (18 mi) east of Avalon, CA · earthquakes near Avalon
Magnitude
M 2.2 (ml)
Depth
2.2 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Orange County, 41 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Palos Verdes fault, under 1 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 1428 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 18 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Avalon, 28 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Newport Beach, Laguna Beach.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 56 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 270,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 190,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 17× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 56 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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 29 km N of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 The 1986 Oceanside, California Earthquake · 46 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 5.3 7km W of Newport Beach, CA · 29 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.0 2km ENE of Westminster, CA · 45 km N 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 33.3665, -118.0228. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 41 km (26 mi) NNE earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 95 km (59 mi) NNW earthquakes near Los Angeles County
San Diego County, CA 122 km (76 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Diego County
Ventura County, CA 151 km (94 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 39 km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  2. 1.9 2 km S of Orange, CA
  3. 4.1 18 km S of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  4. 2.0 13 km NE of Avalon, CA
  5. 2.3 3 km ESE of Huntington Beach, CA
  6. 3.4 3 km SE of Huntington Beach, CA
  7. 2.0 17 km E of Avalon, CA
  8. 2.0 7 km WSW of Huntington Beach, CA
  9. 1.6 20 km S of San Pedro, CA
  10. 2.1 46 km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  11. 1.6 22 km SSW of Seal Beach, CA
  12. 1.9 10 km WSW of Newport Beach, CA
  13. 1.6 44 km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  14. 2.4 31 km SSW of Dana Point, CA
  15. 3.0 46 km ENE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), 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.