QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 1:30 am PST (09:30 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 2.0 earthquake was recorded 25 km (15 mi) west-southwest of Los Angeles, CA, at 3:06 am PST on 25 December 2022 (11:06 UTC), 12 km deep. 12 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4km WSW of Marina del Rey, CA

10 km (6 mi) SW of Los Angeles, CA · in Santa Monica, CA

3:06 am PST, Dec 25, 2022 · · 12 km deep · released about 26 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Angeles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 33 kmVentura County 73 kmOrange County 74 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
3:06 am PST on 25 December 2022 ()
Where
25 km (15 mi) west-southwest of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
12 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 33 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Palos Verdes fault, 6 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 1389 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 Los Angeles, 25 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 6 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 26 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 580,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 410,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 36× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 26 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 7,400 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 18 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 28 km N of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 40 km ENE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 34 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.6 7km NNE of Simi Valley, California · 44 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 2 km SSW of Santa Monica, California · 4 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 33.9678, -118.4940. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 33 km (21 mi) NE earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 73 km (45 mi) NW earthquakes near Ventura County
Orange County, CA 74 km (46 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. 2.2 5km NNW of Sylmar, CA
  2. 1.6 18km SSE of Malibu, CA
  3. 1.7 1km W of Manhattan Beach, CA
  4. 2.2 4km SSE of Malibu Beach, CA
  5. 1.5 7km SE of Piru, CA
  6. 1.5 1km WSW of Baldwin Hills, CA
  7. 1.7 5km NW of Chatsworth, CA
  8. 1.5 7km ENE of Simi Valley, CA
  9. 1.7 1km WNW of Las Flores, CA
  10. 3.3 2km WNW of Las Flores, CA
  11. 2.1 1km NW of Hermosa Beach, CA
  12. 1.7 1km NNE of Carson, CA
  13. 1.7 15km SSE of Camarillo, CA
  14. 2.3 31km S of Malibu, CA
  15. 1.7 9km SSE of Malibu Beach, 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.