QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Oceanside, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Oceanside in the 24 hours to 8:26 am PST (16:26 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 52 km (32 mi) W, at 1:22 pm PDT on 5 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 126 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Oceanside

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 37 km (23 mi) southwest of Oceanside, CA, at 7:45 pm PST on 23 February 2022 (03:45 UTC), 3.8 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 38km WSW of Carlsbad, CA

42 km (26 mi) W of Encinitas, CA · 130 km (81 mi) SSE of Los Angeles, CA

7:45 pm PST, Feb 23, 2022 · · 3.8 km deep · released about 35 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Oceanside Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 75 kmSan Diego County 87 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
7:45 pm PST on 23 February 2022 ()
Where
37 km (23 mi) southwest of Oceanside, CA · earthquakes near Oceanside
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
3.8 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Orange County, 75 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Carslbad Ridge fault, 9 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 1722 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 16 km (10 mi) from the epicentre. In Oceanside, 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 35 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 5.8 440,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 310,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 28× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 35 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.5 The 1986 Oceanside, California Earthquake · 16 km WSW 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 33.0062, -117.7120. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 75 km (46 mi) N earthquakes near Orange County
San Diego County, CA 87 km (54 mi) E earthquakes near San Diego County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 16 km SW of La Jolla, CA
  2. 1.7 34 km WSW of Encinitas, CA
  3. 2.3 39 km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  4. 2.1 46 km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  5. 1.6 44 km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  6. 2.4 31 km SSW of Dana Point, CA
  7. 3.0 46 km ENE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA
  8. 1.7 25 km WSW of Dana Point, CA
  9. 1.5 29 km SW of Laguna Beach, CA
  10. 2.0 46 km ENE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA
  11. 1.6 42 km ENE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA
  12. 1.6 50 km SSW of San Clemente, CA
  13. 3.6 45 km ENE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA
  14. 1.7 21 km WNW of La Jolla, CA
  15. 1.5 37 km NE 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.