QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Placentia, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Placentia in the 24 hours to 3:40 am PST (11:40 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 31 km (19 mi) WSW, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Placentia

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) north-northeast of Placentia, CA, at 11:18 am PDT on 9 July 2025 (18:18 UTC), 13 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2 km NNE of Placentia, CA

in Placentia, CA · 53 km (33 mi) ESE of Los Angeles, CA

11:18 am PDT, Jul 9, 2025 · · 13 km deep · released about 36 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 25 kmLos Angeles County 50 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
11:18 am PDT on 9 July 2025 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) north-northeast of Placentia, CA · earthquakes near Placentia
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Orange County, 25 km SSE
Nearest mapped fault
Puente Hills blind thrust system, 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 433 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 Placentia, 3 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: Placentia 3 km, intensity II · Yorba Linda 4 km, intensity II · Brea 4 km, intensity II · Fullerton 7 km, intensity II · Anaheim 8 km, intensity II · La Habra 9 km, intensity II · Rowland Heights 10 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 36 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 5.8 420,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 27× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 36 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 5,400 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 32 km SSW of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 The 1910 Lake Elsinore, California Earthquake · 48 km ESE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 27 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 The 1991 Sierra Madre, California Earthquake · 44 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 The 1990 Upland, California Earthquake · 32 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 33.8937, -117.8607. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 25 km (16 mi) SSE earthquakes near Orange County
Los Angeles County, CA 50 km (31 mi) NW earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 128 km (80 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ventura County
San Diego County, CA 140 km (87 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

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

  1. 1.9 2 km S of Willowbrook, CA
  2. 1.7 7 km SSE of Lytle Creek, CA
  3. 1.5 4 km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  4. 1.5 4 km SE of Home Gardens, CA
  5. 1.5 3 km WSW of La Habra, CA
  6. 1.9 8 km ENE of North Tustin, CA
  7. 1.9 6 km NW of Rialto, CA
  8. 2.3 2 km N of Baldwin Hills, CA
  9. 3.4 10 km N of La Verne, CA
  10. 1.6 11 km ENE of Trabuco Canyon, CA
  11. 2.7 6 km N of Fontana, CA
  12. 1.9 2 km ENE of Culver City, CA
  13. 1.6 8 km SSE of Home Gardens, CA
  14. 1.9 5 km ENE of Rancho Cucamonga, CA
  15. 1.7 5 km NNW of Yorba Linda, 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.