QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Camp Pendleton South, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Camp Pendleton South in the 24 hours to 2:05 pm PST (22:05 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 Camp Pendleton South

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) west-northwest of Camp Pendleton South, CA, at 12:39 am PDT on 13 May 2024 (07:39 UTC), 15 km deep.

USGS: 8 km WNW of Camp Pendleton South, CA

15 km (9 mi) W of Oceanside, CA · 123 km (76 mi) SE of Los Angeles, CA

12:39 am PDT, May 13, 2024 · · 15 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 56 kmSan Diego County 69 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
12:39 am PDT on 13 May 2024 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) west-northwest of Camp Pendleton South, CA · earthquakes near Camp Pendleton South
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Orange County, 56 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Newport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon fault, 3 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 910 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Camp Pendleton South, 8 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: Oceanside, Carlsbad, Camp Pendleton North, Vista, Bonsall, San Clemente.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 · 49 km SW 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 33.2428, -117.4657. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 56 km (35 mi) NNW earthquakes near Orange County
San Diego County, CA 69 km (43 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Diego County
Los Angeles County, CA 129 km (80 mi) NW earthquakes near Los Angeles County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 7 km ESE of Valley Center, CA
  2. 2.2 40 km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  3. 1.8 6 km SW of Carlsbad, CA
  4. 1.6 1 km WNW of Lakeland Village, CA
  5. 2.5 47 km SSW of Dana Point, CA
  6. 2.0 41 km WSW of Encinitas, CA
  7. 1.8 30 km SSW of Dana Point, CA
  8. 1.5 3 km ESE of Wildomar, CA
  9. 1.8 27 km WNW of La Jolla, CA
  10. 1.8 50 km WSW of Encinitas, CA
  11. 1.8 6 km WNW of Camp Pendleton South, CA
  12. 1.9 5 km SW of San Pasqual, CA
  13. 2.6 27 km WSW of Dana Point, CA
  14. 2.6 27 km WSW of Dana Point, CA
  15. 2.8 27 km WSW of Dana Point, 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.